Engagement Ring Help Needed!

[aaronpk]

Hi All,

I''m new to the Pricescope, someone on another forum (Anandtech) referred me here and I''m really glad he did! I''ve read all the articles, I really found reading about CUTS and TIC interesting! And what can I say, I''m in need of help!

I started by going to a reputable local dealer (where my dad has bought jewelry for my mom for the past 35 years), where a relative works, and a place I''ve done some IT work for in the past. The jury is still out, they''re going to get back to me next week, my relative showed me a .84 diamond, no lab report, but it had a little card with it saying it was an SI-3. They listed it for $4900 but they''re going to get back to me next week once they check with the owner on getting a better price. Frankly I wasn''t terribly impressed.

I''ve been studying up online (this might become a hobby of mine) and ran trough the PS search engine and the diamond locator and BlueNile and am really looking for a nice diamond to be the center piece in a 3 diamond engagement ring.

Looking for round cut, best value (combo of size, visual quality, and price) for about $4000.

I''m thinking someting like a .9 carat center stone with one .3 carat on each side.

Also, not rock related, but what are your thoughts on Palladium rings?

Any info you have to share would be great, it''s a pleasure being here!

 

[JulieN]

Date: 8/31/2008 2:51:34 PM
Author:aaronpk
I started by going to a reputable local dealer (where my dad has bought jewelry for my mom for the past 35 years), where a relative works, and a place I've done some IT work for in the past. The jury is still out, they're going to get back to me next week, my relative showed me a .84 diamond, no lab report, but it had a little card with it saying it was an SI-3. They listed it for $4900 but they're going to get back to me next week once they check with the owner on getting a better price. Frankly I wasn't terribly impressed.

I've been studying up online (this might become a hobby of mine) and ran trough the PS search engine and the diamond locator and BlueNile and am really looking for a nice diamond to be the center piece in a 3 diamond engagement ring.

Looking for round cut, best value (combo of size, visual quality, and price) for about $4000.

I'm thinking someting like a .9 carat center stone with one .3 carat on each side.

Also, not rock related, but what are your thoughts on Palladium rings?

Any info you have to share would be great, it's a pleasure being here!

Please stay away from those! Price is really quite high for a stone without a GIA/AGS report Si-3...it really shouldn't be more than $2000.

Palladium is getting more popular; sometimes you have to hunt for a jeweler who works well with it.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 8/31/2008 2:51:34 PM
Author:aaronpk
Hi All,

I'm new to the Pricescope, someone on another forum (Anandtech) referred me here and I'm really glad he did! I've read all the articles, I really found reading about CUTS and TIC interesting! And what can I say, I'm in need of help!

I started by going to a reputable local dealer (where my dad has bought jewelry for my mom for the past 35 years), where a relative works, and a place I've done some IT work for in the past. The jury is still out, they're going to get back to me next week, my relative showed me a .84 diamond, no lab report, but it had a little card with it saying it was an SI-3. They listed it for $4900 but they're going to get back to me next week once they check with the owner on getting a better price. Frankly I wasn't terribly impressed.

I've been studying up online (this might become a hobby of mine) and ran trough the PS search engine and the diamond locator and BlueNile and am really looking for a nice diamond to be the center piece in a 3 diamond engagement ring.

Looking for round cut, best value (combo of size, visual quality, and price) for about $4000.

I'm thinking someting like a .9 carat center stone with one .3 carat on each side.

Also, not rock related, but what are your thoughts on Palladium rings?

Any info you have to share would be great, it's a pleasure being here!

Welcome to Pricescope Aaron!

I would pass on the diamond you were offered, SI3 is an EGL only used grade, and it sounds as if the diamond does not have a full report anyway, it could be graded by other labs as an I1 - also it may not be eyeclean.
'
Cut quality is very important for a diamond's beauty, far more than colour or clarity, so you could pick a diamond which has a great cut, perhaps SI2 clarity which has been verified eyeclean by a trusted vendor and perhaps a G H or even I or J colour, this would allow you to get the maximum size for your budget.

I would recommend you look at some of the PS vendors who carry in house diamonds such as -

www.whiteflash.com

www.winkjones.com

www.goodoldgold.com

www.jamesallen.com

Start off looking at their websites, they all have good reps here. They also carry in house diamonds and very often have the cut analysis done so you can make an informed choice and know what you are buying. They would also be able to describe an in house diamond accurately to you concerning if it is eyeclean etc.

Also I would suggest looking at some diamonds in person to get a feel for what you like best. A top notch cut isn't stricly necessary such as a hearts and arrows superideal, it depends on what you want, sometimes just a well cut diamond can fit the bill, so spend some time considering what you would prefer. Also concerning cut, check out some Hearts on Fire brand and some AGS0 cut grade, that way you will be looking at some diamonds of known cut quality so you can see what a well cut diamond looks like. Also compare some colour grades at the same time if possible, so you can see where your preferences lie.

 

[oneam]

Date: 8/31/2008 2:51:34 PM
Author:aaronpk
Hi All,

I'm new to the Pricescope, someone on another forum (Anandtech) referred me here and I'm really glad he did! I've read all the articles, I really found reading about CUTS and TIC interesting! And what can I say, I'm in need of help!

I started by going to a reputable local dealer (where my dad has bought jewelry for my mom for the past 35 years), where a relative works, and a place I've done some IT work for in the past. The jury is still out, they're going to get back to me next week, my relative showed me a .84 diamond, no lab report, but it had a little card with it saying it was an SI-3. They listed it for $4900 but they're going to get back to me next week once they check with the owner on getting a better price. Frankly I wasn't terribly impressed.

I've been studying up online (this might become a hobby of mine) and ran trough the PS search engine and the diamond locator and BlueNile and am really looking for a nice diamond to be the center piece in a 3 diamond engagement ring.

Looking for round cut, best value (combo of size, visual quality, and price) for about $4000.

I'm thinking someting like a .9 carat center stone with one .3 carat on each side.

Also, not rock related, but what are your thoughts on Palladium rings?

Any info you have to share would be great, it's a pleasure being here!

You've already rec'd sound advise, but I just had to say NO! NO NO NO! They don't need to get back to you, even - these "family friend" things never seem to end well for some reason. I'm glad you found Pricescope. As far as Palladium goes, alot of people find it a good compromise between gold and plat. You can probably find some good practical info on it by doing a search here. The only issue may be finding it in the setting you want. A few of the well known brands offer it as an option, I think, or if you were going custom you'd want a jeweler that works w/ it, and keep in mind that down the line, you'll want to have the band in the same material. Good luck in your search!

ETA: a note about Blue Nile, you've been steered towards some great vendors already, but I wanted to add that we purchased my ering stone from them because at the time they seemed like a great reputable vendor w/ competitive pricing, however, they are unable to provide the more comprehensive info on their stones that the vendors like Good Old Gold and Whiteflash can, and they don't carry Hearts & Arrows stones if this is a look you prefer. This is an important consideration when you aren't able to see a stone in person before purchasing. Also, Blue Nile does not have an upgrade policy at all.

 

[aaronpk]

Thanks for the help so far all! I''m taking the advice of the people here! Running the price engine right now! I really like the sites that actually show the diamonds!