Just can''''t decide.....

[mdibatti]

I need help making a decision.

I found two stones that are really nice and within my budget.

First one:
1.02 D VS2

Second:
1.3 I VS1

Both are Princess cut and both are the exact same price. My GF isn''t really hung up on having a large ring, but she certainly wouldn''t mind one

Part of me wants her to have a bigger stone, but part of me wants her to have a better quality.

What do you guys/ladies think?

Thanks!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Ya know, there's a lot of territory between D and I! If you want to stay colorless, then F would be the highest color I'd consider. You are really paying a high price for a D. If you go to near colorless, G-H are generally considered white except when put next to high color like D-E. So my personal opinion would be to keep looking and look around the G-H range.

 

[mymodog]

I think you should consider what the girl wants. I hear it all the time... There is some poor girl with her "perfect" half carat and people are like "He paid WHAT for THAT????" and then the girl replies "Yeah, but they say it is a perfect stone"

 

[belle]

Date: 5/2/2006 10:09:49 AM
Author:mdibatti

Part of me wants her to have a bigger stone, but part of me wants her to have a better quality.

is high color/clarity ''quality'' for you?
quality for me, in regards to diamonds, depends on how well the stone is cut. a poorly cut d/vs does not look anywhere near as good as a well cut stone of the same (or even less).

if you want a really nice diamond, focus on the cut.

knowing absolutely nothing about these stones, i would be hesitant going with the ''i'' color. a mediocre cut princess will tend to look more yellow.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Oh yes, I was assuming we were talking within the excellent cut category. Cut comes first and then you can narrow down the color and clarity and size issues.

 

[mdibatti]

Not sure about the 'Cut' statistics, but they both look really nice and both sparkle.

I actually held them side by side and really couldn't tell a difference between color/clarity...they both sparkled like crazy!

 

[belle]

Date: 5/2/2006 10:39:57 AM
Author: mdibatti

I actually held them side by side and really couldn''t tell a difference between color/clarity...they both sparkled like crazy!

sounds like a pretty easy decision then!

 

[mdibatti]

I take back the part about them being the same price.

Well, the diamonds are the same price, but add in the setting and the 1.3 is actually $800 bucks more to account for the larger size.

Can't do the extra $$$.

So grand total with setting for the 1.02 D VS2 is $6,000. Does that seem reasonable??

Thanks!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Are you saying the SAME setting is $800 more for a 1.3 versus a 1.0??? If so, I''d be shopping somewhere else! That''s a big red flag, IMO.

 

[mrssalvo]

Date: 5/2/2006 11:39:28 AM
Author: diamondseeker2006
Are you saying the SAME setting is $800 more for a 1.3 versus a 1.0??? If so, I''d be shopping somewhere else! That''s a big red flag, IMO.

ditto..something seems a little strange..$800 to accomondate a slightly larger stone, that''s very high IMO. Of course I haven''t seen the setting you''re wanting but $800 for a bigger head

I''d do a little more shopping as well..

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Here is an example of a nice princess just to compare:

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond.php?d=363&shape=2&ctMin=1.0&ctMax=1.3&clarity=32&color=24&inHouse=1&resultsColumns=268451855&singleResult=1

Another:

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond.php?d=380&shape=2&ctMin=1.0&ctMax=1.2&clarity=16&color=16&inHouse=3&resultsColumns=268451855&singleResult=1

 

[mdibatti]

Really!?!

That's not what I want to hear. I've been to 4 places in my area and everyone turned me off for one reason or another except this place.

I'm getting a Lucida setting. The place is doing all the work onsite.

It'll look like this:

http://www.tiffany.com/expertise/diamond/rings/engagement_lucida_ring.asp?ring=lucida&

 

[mdibatti]

Thanks for the examples.

The second link is very close to the one I''m probably going to get. Except mine is a D and 1.02 carat.....I''m getting mine for 5K, so a little bit cheaper.

 

[mrssalvo]

love the tiffany setting. I don''t see why they are charging you $800 more on the setting for a slightly larger stone though. surely doesn''t seem like $800 more worth of metal or work for that matter...

probably has to do with profit margins

.

You might considering having a vendor who does custom give you a quote to make it for the larger stone, you might be surprised. I''m a size gal so I''d want to explore options before giving a a larger stone

 

[mdibatti]

This site is great....thanks for all the feedback!

What do you guys think of the price?

~$6k for the 1.02 D VS2.....that's with setting.

 

[mrssalvo]

Date: 5/2/2006 1:17:59 PM
Author: mdibatti
This site is great....thanks for all the feedback!


What do you guys think of the price?


~$6k for the 1.02 D VS2.....that's with setting.

mdibatti, several people have jumped in with some suggestions for you. It's hard to know about the price because there isn't enough info on the stones you posted for us to really help anymore than we have. You have seen the stones in person, if you feel comfortable with the vendor and the price go for it. I'm sure it will be lovely and please come and post pics of the completed ring

 

[mdibatti]

Good point. Thanks for all the suggestions and comments.

Glad I found this site before making any final decisions!!

 

[ilovesparkles]

I would go with the D colored stone all the way. But I am color sensitive and can almost always pick out an I colored diamond. If you want more input I would post all the other specs of the stones.

 

[mdibatti]

Thanks, ilovesparkles.

Above all else, it's really important to my GF that the ring SPARKLES.

I need to compare both again and perhaps take them outside and compare, but I would think the D would Sparkle more.

 

[mrssalvo]

Date: 5/2/2006 2:40:31 PM
Author: mdibatti
, but I would think the D would Sparkle more.

how the stone is cut is what''s going to affect the sparkle, not the color

I''d take a better cut I over a poorly cut D any day of the week. It''s a great idea for you to have another look and if the vendor will let you take them outside that is always very helpful and telling..

 

[diamondseeker2006]

MrsSalvo and I are trying to be sure you have cut information because you could be overpaying if the stone is not well cut. My original diamond is just a good cut and it does sparkle, but it is not anywhere near the cut quality it could be. I have learned on this site that ideal cut stones are the most beautiful and will be the most "sparkly". Now my husband is going to get me a well cut stone for our anniversary now that we have learned about diamond quality. Are those stones certified? By which grading lab?

How much are they charging for the setting? That is a beautiful setting. But something is wrong if they would charge $800 more to set the 1.3 ct. There is usually no additional charge for such a slight difference in diamond size. The increased charge usually comes when one is going from a small to a large ring size. But it wouldn''t ordinarily be $800 more.

 

[JulieN]

This setting is platinum, right? should be around 600-800 for white gold. 1000-1200 for platinum

 

[mdibatti]

They''re charging $1000 for the setting.

As it turns out, the prices of the diamonds are a little bit different, the 1.3 being more.

I swore they were the same price.....

Anyway, pretty sure I''m going to go with the 1.02, I''ll post pics!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I''m sure she''ll love it!!! Looking forward to the pictures!!!