35-40k budget- Need help!

[lovesparkle]

Hi! My boyfriend and I are starting to look at rings and I think that we have a fantastic budget- bet 35-40k. We live in NYC, which is pretty blingtastic -- I have friends with some amazing rings from Tiffany, Harry Winston, Fred Leighton, etc....Their rings are all gorgeous but I feel like there is more value finding a stone and having it set. plus, it''s the thrill of the ''hunt'' lol. We will probably have Leon Mege set it in a simple patinum solitare four claw prong setting...

So- I was hoping to get some guidelines for what to look for. We went window shopping last week and tried on rings and I would love love anything between 2.5 and 3 carats. I''m not as color sensitive as I thought I was -I can tell the difference but I would be as happy with and "I" as an "F" color stone. ''G'' or ''H'' would be the swwet spot I think. Clarity is something I always thought I would be able to see but I saw a gorgeous H S11 2.7 carat at DeBeers and thought it was beautiful. My finger size is 5.5, so over three carats would look a little silly, no?

We are planning to visit some of the NYC Pricescope vendors including Mark of ERD and Bill from IceMine --Good Old Gold is simply too far I think since we''re in the city and they may have to call too many things in.

A few questions-

How long should we give ourselves to find a stone in this range?

What''s the lowest to consider in clarity sight unseen without affecting a stone structurally? Can S11 inclusions in the right place cause a stone to chip or crack down the line?

What do you think of Infinity cuts? How much of a premium (percentage) is one over an ideal cut stone?

Other than Leon- what kind of settings will allow you to set a larger diamond low?

Plus any other thoughts as well--this is going to be a long project but I promise to post pics when done!

 

[Skippy123]

Since you are in NY I would talk to Good Old Gold and Engagement Rings Direct about a diamond and they could show you the difference in clarity and color. I think each person is different with what they are comfortable w/but you are lucky you can pop into these 2 great vendors and judge for yourself; I would make an appt w/them!

Very nice budget, exciting and a Leon setting would be beautiful

 

[chitowngal]

hi lovesparkle! you are describing EXACTLY what i was looking for when i started looking a few months ago (but you have a HUGE budget!!!

) i''m getting my stone set in a leon setting and my finger size is 5.5, too!

i think you can easily get something between 2.5-3.0...however, waiting for the perfect stone may take some time and luck as quality stones in this size range are somewhat hard to come by. congrats and good luck!!!

 

[Regular Guy]

I think Mark can frequently access the same options available to Blue Nile.

You might ask him about one very like..or exactly like...this one.

Regards,

 

[lovesparkle]

Thanks everyone! I think if I can find something great in the range or maybe less (so we could take a nice trip!) I''d be very happy! I figure that finidng the right stone will take a while, it doesn''t have to be the most perfect one but the one we like the best. chitowngal what did you end up with after your search? I''m sure my boyfriend would be thrilled if we can drop the budget and possibly love me more than he does now :0)

 

[chitowngal]

Date: 4/21/2008 5:20:02 PM
Author: lovesparkle
Thanks everyone! I think if I can find something great in the range or maybe less (so we could take a nice trip!) I''d be very happy! I figure that finidng the right stone will take a while, it doesn''t have to be the most perfect one but the one we like the best. chitowngal what did you end up with after your search? I''m sure my boyfriend would be thrilled if we can drop the budget and possibly love me more than he does now :0)

well, i''m actually STILL searching! if you look at my previous threads, WF found a fabulously cut 2.6 I SI2 stone that i purchased. it was such a brilliant diamond- completely eye clean and sparkly sparkly sparkly. however, i was able to see the yellow in the I color even face up, so now i''m upgrading to a H/G color. the first stone was just under 21K, so i''m sure you can find something great under your generous budget!! there seems to be a scarcity of well-cut larger stones, so i think it will just take a bit of patience.

you are also SO lucky to be located in NYC! i would totally go on a diamond shopping frenzy if i were you!!

 

[Lillysmom]

A great site to look at loose diamonds is Danforthdiamond.com.

http://www.danforthdiamond.com/diamond-search/

They have an easy way of searching through thousands of loose diamonds. You can just move the lines up and down until you have all of your criterias chosen, and it will give you a list of diamonds that meet that criteria.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Date: 4/21/2008 5:59:42 PM
Author: Lillysmom
A great site to look at loose diamonds is Danforthdiamond.com.

http://www.danforthdiamond.com/diamond-search/

They have an easy way of searching through thousands of loose diamonds. You can just move the lines up and down until you have all of your criterias chosen, and it will give you a list of diamonds that meet that criteria.

All the vendors on PS have access to virtual stones. I greatly prefer PS vendors because they have a track record on this forum and they also aim to please the customer since we post both postiive and negative comments on here!

I would highly recommend Good Old Gold since they specialize in top quality stones. I would just plan a date to go there once he finds a couple of stones for you to look at. He has lots of equipment to test the light performance of the stones and has an excellent trade-up policy in the event you ever have the desire to upgrade size or even color or clarity. Maybe you won''t, but it is a great thing to know you have the option. Of course, we bought my stone without ever going there at all! So you could have him send you stones to look at (you wire the money and they refund if you don''t want the stone).

 

[Kaleigh]

You''ll be in good hands with Mark at ERD. But I''d also contact Jonathon at GOG. See what he can bring in for you, definitely worth the trip there IMHO. Good luck, I can''t wait to see what you end up with. Love that Leon will do your setting. How exciting for you!!

 

[iheartscience]

Date: 4/21/2008 5:59:42 PM
Author: Lillysmom
A great site to look at loose diamonds is Danforthdiamond.com.


http://www.danforthdiamond.com/diamond-search/


They have an easy way of searching through thousands of loose diamonds. You can just move the lines up and down until you have all of your criterias chosen, and it will give you a list of diamonds that meet that criteria.

As far as I know this isn''t a recommended PS vendor, so I''d steer clear, personally.

I think you''re off to a good start with Engagement Rings Direct and Good Old Gold.

I''d also check with Whiteflash if you don''t mind going long distance-their ACAs are amazing and they can send the diamond directly to Leon to set it or they can send it to you, too, if you''d prefer. I''ve worked with Sheerah a couple of times and she''s great-I highly recommend her.

 

[NeverEndingUpgrade]

Unless you''ve totally ruled out GoodOldGold, they are willing to make vidoes of diamonds for you to see. I bought from them and I live in Texas. If I were any where near them, I would go look. They have some fabulous diamonds.

 

[icekid]

Date: 4/21/2008 5:59:42 PM
Author: Lillysmom
A great site to look at loose diamonds is Danforthdiamond.com.

http://www.danforthdiamond.com/diamond-search/

Lillysmom- Have you purchased from Danforth? There's nothing wrong with not buying from the usual pricescope suspects. However, if you're going to recommend someone new it would be nice if you could offer your experience with them.

Anyway! lovesparkle, as you know you have an awesome budget and shouldn't have any trouble finding what you want. It sounds like you have a good plan of attack too. By the way, a good SI1 or SI2 can help save a little money (or.... go bigger) and doesn not necessarily compromise the stone at all. Ask your vendor for details on the inclusion; most of them will not send you in the wrong direction. Let us know how it goes!!

 

[wawatu]

congratulations lovesparkle.
I think with your budget, you an find a very very nice 2carat ++ diamond.
I spent about 2 months looking and learning and finally bought my diamond from jamesallen.
Re clarity, vs2 would be my lowest grade.
Re PC vendors, I find that ID diamond has very competitive prices.
good luck