When to start looking?

[orbaya]

Soon it will be my turn to start the diamond process!

My plan is to upgrade until I get the size I want over time. I am pretty sure that I want to work with Whiteflash. I do have a few questions first:

1. When would be the best time to start my search? I know that this time of year is very popular for diamonds so I''m wondering at what point will vendors have "restocked" their supply? I''d like to start the search ASAP, but I will wait if vendors will get more stones in soon.

2. Since I know that I will be upgrading over time, would it be best to put the stone in a simple 4 or 6 prong mounting and change out the prongs with each upgrade? I want to put it in a necklace, but I really don''t want to end up with several unusable pendant mountings.

3. Is there any rhyme or reason as to when WF puts new diamonds in the ES collection?

My budget to start with is $1700 (and that includes $100 for a simple setting), so my diamond cannot go over $1600. In this price range, I didn''t really see a difference in price between the ES stones and those from their regular inventory. I originally didn''t want to go below an H color, but after seeing so many beautiful J''s here, I think I would be comfortable with going that low. Besides, this is a temporary stone, so if I don''t like the color I can deal with it for a while. I am also comfortable with an eyeclean SI1. I didn''t see much of a selection in that price range...I found 1 or 2. I would prefer to stay away from ACA''s...I would like a larger stone without the premium with my small budget. My plan was to start at .50cts, but is it possible to go a little larger with $1600? Is it even worth starting with this upgrade process with my budget, or should I wait until I have more cash and start with .75 ct? Is it possible to get a beautiful .75ct with $2000, or not?

Thank you so much!

 

[belle]

Date: 12/28/2005 9:52:48 AM
Author:orbaya

1. When would be the best time to start my search? I know that this time of year is very popular for diamonds so I''m wondering at what point will vendors have ''restocked'' their supply? I''d like to start the search ASAP, but I will wait if vendors will get more stones in soon.

vendors are restocking all the time, you just have to keep on eye out for what you want. it may be awhile before you find a stone that matches all of the attributes exactly in what you are looking for, so keep an open mind when looking...i.e. you might be able to get an h/si now instead of that g/si you were waiting for. just start looking! it''s never too soon.

Date: 12/28/2005 9:52:48 AM
Author:orbaya

2. Since I know that I will be upgrading over time, would it be best to put the stone in a simple 4 or 6 prong mounting and change out the prongs with each upgrade? I want to put it in a necklace, but I really don''t want to end up with several unusable pendant mountings.

if you are going to be changing often, get a simple setting. depending on the size difference, you won''t be able to save the setting, but at least you won''t have invested too much $$ in it.

Date: 12/28/2005 9:52:48 AM
Author:orbaya

3. Is there any rhyme or reason as to when WF puts new diamonds in the ES collection?

if there is, i haven''t figured it out yet. i just keep looking.

Date: 12/28/2005 9:52:48 AM
Author:orbaya

My budget to start with is $1700 (and that includes $100 for a simple setting), so my diamond cannot go over $1600. In this price range, I didn''t really see a difference in price between the ES stones and those from their regular inventory. I originally didn''t want to go below an H color, but after seeing so many beautiful J''s here, I think I would be comfortable with going that low. Besides, this is a temporary stone, so if I don''t like the color I can deal with it for a while. I am also comfortable with an eyeclean SI1. I didn''t see much of a selection in that price range...I found 1 or 2. I would prefer to stay away from ACA''s...I would like a larger stone without the premium with my small budget. My plan was to start at .50cts, but is it possible to go a little larger with $1600? Is it even worth starting with this upgrade process with my budget, or should I wait until I have more cash and start with .75 ct? Is it possible to get a beautiful .75ct with $2000, or not?

Thank you so much!

absolutely without question look at ''j'' color stones...you will be very happy with one i think.

don''t rule out aca''s either, the premium is not that much. i think you might be surprised with what you can find. i like searching both es and aca. you should be able to find a very nice sized stone in your budget.

best of luck!

 

[devientdrow]

Are you open to any other vendors? I did a search for what your looking for at www.jamesallen.com I searched in Ideal and Premium cuts and found 5 pages worth! I kept the search limited to colors H, I and J and didn''t go below SI1 in clarity. Here are 3 from my search....

GIA cert, Ideal cut round brilliant, .51 carats, H color, VS1 clarity $1,400
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamond.asp?cid=131&item=158093

GIA cert, Ideal cut round brilliant, .59 carats, I color, VS2 clarity $1,540
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamond.asp?cid=131&item=430833

GIA cert, Ideal cut round brilliant, .57 carats, H color, VS1 clarity $1,580
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamond.asp?cid=131&item=529243

That last one is my fav out of these three, but there was 5 pages of diamonds there are I put in your criteria for your search. Doesn''t hurt to look! Good luck!

Oh and I wouldn''t go below the premium cut but you could and get a larger stone. However trust me, a smaller stone with the knock out sparkle of an Ideal cut will turn more heads. Also in my opion ideal cuts seem to look bigger. I have a .83 carats from James Allen and everyone thinks it''s a 1ct diamond

 

[orbaya]

Devient,

Thanks for the suggestions. I looked on that site and I didn''t see any info on upgrades. The only thing I found was "Upgrade policies" but the description only talked about shipping, so I''m a little confused there. If I remember correctly, James Allen only has an 80% upgrade policy, and I need a vendor who offers 100% because I''ll be doing multiple upgrades.

 

[orbaya]

Belle,

Thanks for your input. You confirmed what I was thinking. I''m excited to really begin the search, and I have been looking around WF for a while now but I can finally start a serious search with a "sparkly" reward!

 

[devientdrow]

I would shoot them an e mail....I know when I got my ring there was paperwork detailing the policy and I know they had one but not 100% sure of the details.

 

[E B]

Orbaya,

How about this, if it's eye-clean? It's somewhere between a .50 and a .75, and an H&A at that! I wasn't looking for H&A's, but it came up and is well within your budget (with some leftover to put into the setting). It also scored a 1.1 on the HCA!

.613, I, SI2: $1224 with the PS discount:

http://www.whiteflash.com/diamonds/diamond_Details.aspx?itemcode=AGS-6640402

With your budget being $1700, minus the $1224 for the diamond, you'd have enough for this beautiful 4-prong platinum tiffany style setting ($393).

http://www.whiteflash.com/Engagement-Rings/Styles/Solitaire/Platinum-4-Prong-Tiffany-Style_608.htm

 

[orbaya]

Ebree,

Thanks for the suggestion! I did find this a little while ago and I think it looks like a decent stone. I haven''t run it throught HCA yet though.

https://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-1958344.htm#

As far the setting, I want a simple white gold six prong one because I''ll be doing multiple upgrades and will probably have to change settings eventually.

 

[E B]

That stone looks beautiful! And, just to save you some time, it scores as a 0.5 on the HCA. Good luck with your decision!

 

[orbaya]

So it does score a .5! I just ran it myself (before I read your latest post) and thought I did something wrong. I wasn''t sure how to enter a "pointed culet" so I left it at zero. As a matter of fact, I had just started a thread about that before I read your reply.

I do wish I could go a little bigger....I still have a few hundred dollars to spend if I get that stone. I''d hate to leave that cash sitting in my bank when it could be going towards diamonds! LOL!

 

[E B]

I think the J, VS2 is perfect. It's got a great spread and a gorgeous idealscope.

My stone is from Whiteflash as well and, from what I've read, they're the best in terms of an upgrade policy.

ETA: Sorry, I didn't realize you were shopping for yourself! No proposal needed if you're already married, huh?

 

[E B]

Now, keep in mind I know nothing about fancy cuts, but you mentioned many topics ago (I browsed!) that you liked radiants. It is $68.00 over your diamond budget, but if it's a nice stone (and Whiteflash or a radiant expert would have to tell you that) it might be something worth looking into.

.62ct, F SI1:
http://www.whiteflash.com/diamonds/diamond_Details.aspx?itemcode=1883737
($1668 with PS discount)

 

[orbaya]

Wow! You sure are the little researcher aren''t you!

I''ve gotten off my radiant kick for now I think. I am really beginning to like asschers though. I am afraid of buying a fancy cut without seeing it, and there''s no possible way I can see it before purchasing it. So I think sticking with RB''s for now is the safest bet for me.

 

[HOUMedGal]

If you DID want to wait until you had about $2000, you could have this beauty:

http://www.whiteflash.com/round_ideal_cut/Round-Ideal-Cut-cut-diamond-1948524.htm#

And if you waited till you had $2000 and were willing to go down to a K color (which would likely be gorgeous, considering how fabulous all the J''s and K''s that we''ve seen from Whiteflash are!!!), you could go a little bit bigger:

http://www.whiteflash.com/round_ideal_cut/Round-Ideal-Cut-cut-diamond-1990452.htm

This second one (the K VS1) is right at 6mm, which is a great size, IMHO. If I were you and it was my decision, I''d be very tempted to save up for that one. Granted, I''m not too color sensitive, so I hardly think twice about going with a K. I know that many people here on PS have GORGEOUS J diamonds, and there are also some spectacular K''s running around here too!!!

Good luck!!

 

[HOUMedGal]

I went ahead and played ring builder with that K VS1...I put her into a 4 prong Tiffany style white gold setting for $80:

http://www.whiteflash.com/general/ring_builder.aspx

And this price is before the Pricescope discount, so....it would even be a bit less than listed!

This is fun, hehehe!

 

[orbaya]

I have my eye on that J VS1! It''s saved on my wishlist with a few others.

I don''t think I can go below a J color-wise, but thanks for that option!

 

[Regular Guy]

Date: 12/28/2005 4:39:32 PM
Author: orbaya
I haven''t run it throught HCA yet though.....

Amanda,

Just a quick note to consider using the Search by Cut database here, and to let it do the heavy lifting of identifying those options scoring 0 - 2 on the HCA for you...

Regards,