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11 Years in the making, Help me find a quality small diamond

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robbo14

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 19, 2017
Messages
2
Hi all,

From Australia, 11 Years in the making has finally brought me here.

First off the ring style she likes is Stock Number 42029 from Blue Nile. Blue Nile is my preference as I need the ring by 1st of June.

Diamond Budget 4k aud (3k US). She is not fussed on Round or Princess cut but I think with this ring, Round looks better.

I've been looking at Signature Ideal only, Smaller diamond needs to sparkle to appear bigger, Colour from G and above and Clarity from VVS2. Would like eye clean from >6 inches. She is not fussed on size as she knows what the cost would be for a bigger diamond.

Thanks
 
As you rightly point out, US$3k won't get you a honker - and for that reason, you don't really need to stay above VVS2 because the inclusions in a VS1 or a VS2 should be small enough to effectively be invisible. There are even some eye-clean SI1 and SI2 stones out there, but they are harder to find and often snapped up quickly by posters on this forum (and lurkers!).

Likewise, a G or an H won't look much different in that size - the amount of material in the stone is not that great when compared to a 2ct or something similarly large, so it will show less tint than a larger stone. You might even be able to go down to an I and not notice, especially if you get an AGS000 cut - cut defines the light return and a well-cut stone will face up extremely bright white, even in an I or a J.

The mounting also makes a difference - if it's a setting that's open to the sides, tint will be visible from the sides, but if it's a more complex/solid setting, that will hide the side-view of the stone more.

1st June is quite a short timeline but it should be possible to find you something. The setting might also be available from other sellers, which will mean you don't have to shop at BN (which doesn't have many stones with images, such as ASET and IdealScope images) but I'll have to let others comment on that - I'm not up-to-speed on settings. (Can you post a link to the setting?)
 
Oh, and is that US$3k including or excluding Aus import tax?

If you need to include import tax in the $3k, can you advise what the budget is for the stone alone?


re: my previous comments, this I VS1 from BGD has fluorescence so will look whiter in daylight than non-fluor I stones, and a 0.75ct stone really isn't small!
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/d...0.755-i-vs1-round-diamond-ags-bl-104093583015

The small table will also help give it lots of bright 'fire' - no images of the stone itself but the ASET on the certificate and the IdealScope image are really excellent. You could put it on hold and then ask for images so you can assess any impacts of the inclusions within the table area - at VS1, I'd expect them to be hard to spot from the required six inches, if not closer.
 
The 'how much better is an Ideal or Super-Ideal stone than a plain old GIA XXX?' discussion has been the topic of conversation many times on here :lol: lol

If you've not seen AGS000 / Ideal / SuperIdeal stones, a GIA XXX with good angles and a low HCA score will still blow basically everything you can see in the local shops out of the window, but the best-of-the-best stones are said by some to have an extra 'something'.

The stone I bought for my missus (in my avatar pic) is a Crafted By Infinity stone, sold by High Performance Diamonds (@Wink on here), and they are generally considered one of the top-level of stones available - kind of an AGS000+, if that makes sense. It is the extra time taken to ensure all the angles are exactly complementary and all the facets are cut to the best precision that incurs the additional cost over a plain old AGS000.

Cost, size, colour, clarity, cut - finding the balance between these is the struggle many have when it comes to choosing. As is the PS way, don't compromise on Cut - it's what creates the sparkle and fire and performance a diamond should have. The rest are open to negotiation!

Myself... would I pay the premium again for a branded stone, such as a CBI, Brian Gavin Black, Whiteflash A Cut Above? I would, if it didn't compromise my other specification requirements too much, naturally lol.


re: the ring, that's not an unusual ring design - I'm sure that or a very similar design will be available from pretty much every PS-approved seller :)
 
Hey OP. Another Aussie PSer here.

For your budget, you will have to make a choice between smaller carat weight vs super ideal cut or larger carat weight vs ideal cut. The former is likely to cost you more than the latter.

For example, you can get an 84 pointer at Blue Nile that has a regular GIA XXX cut grading (https://www.bluenile.com/au/diamond-details/LD08537217 - it's an I VS2) for under less than AUD4k (add in your import costs, that'll like add another AUD500 on top of the cost of the stone). In their Signature Ideal range, you'll get up to 74 points for an I SI1.

If you aren't averse to fluorescence in your stone, the I VS1 that OoohShiny has linked to above is one that I'd suggest to you for around USD2700 wired. The IS image is utterly stunning and the Brilliance and Sparkle vids show off the stone very well. Another benefit is that the fluorescence can help the stone to appear whiter in lighting situations that have UV light. Not crazier whiter, but I have a K coloured Brian Gavin Blue with medium blue fluorescence that appears face up to come close to a non-super ideal GIA XXX stone that is a G colour. The cut makes a massive difference in how each stone looks face up. The closest setting to that BN one at BGD is the Jurica (http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/engagement-rings/pave-and-side-stones/jurica-platinum-5375p) but you're looking at just over AUD$3k for the setting in platinum (and after you include import fees and GST). Another option is the Juno Pave in 18kt white gold which will probably be around AUD2300 incl of import fee and GST (http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/e...-side-stones/juno-pave-18k-white-gold-5979w18) or this one where you'll have three times the carat weight of the BN option in side pave stones (http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/e...truth-sleek-micro-pave-18k-white-gold-5542w18)

Over at Whiteflash, you can get an 82 point I SI1 Expert Selection stone that may not appear eye clean for just over AUD4k (https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3793654.htm) or a 76 point I SI1 A Cut Above for around AUD3700 that looks bad when magnified but which WF say will be eye clean (https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3836178.htm). Or you drop down to a definitely eye clean 71 point I VS2 ACA for around AUD3700 (https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3809118.htm)

James Allen has these available in their True Hearts range:
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...60.3&DepthTo=62.30&TableFrom=53&TableTo=58.00

Change the slider on cut to include Ideal/Excellent cut stones, and there's 330 options for you to choose from with the parameters I used (at least at the time when I ran the search). They too have a similar style setting in platinum (https://www.jamesallen.com/engageme...ite-diamond-accent-engagement-ring-item-50319) but it will cost about AUD300 more for the setting than the one at BN.

To be honest, I much prefer the BG Blue stone over others that I've seen in this search, but that's because I'm a fluorescence lover. You may not be.
 
Great post ^^^ :)


They must have uploaded the videos on that BGD listing between the time I posted and the time you posted, which means it must have just come onto the market.

@robbo14 - if you like that stone, put it on hold ASAP before a lurker snaps it up!

This might be an alternative setting:
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/e...es/milgrain-bead-set-cathedral-platinum-5501p
but I think anything with side stones is going to bump the cost up.

Would you consider going for a straight solitaire instead? Could release extra funds for the stone!

Adwar might have something that BGD can bring in as an alternative:
http://adwar.com/
 
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