a few question from a hopeless noob

[great_balls_of_fire]

Hey,

Thanks for reading!

I have a few questions. Any advice is much appreciated!

First, the background:

- I am a grad. student, so I don''t make much money, but I have been with the same girl now for a long time, and I love her and, well, you get it...

- So, I think I can probably scrape together about $1500, setting included, although that''ll still be pretty tough.

- I have narrowed it down to round or princess cut, and my goal is to get the biggest-looking, shiniest diamond + ring I can given my meagre budget.

Now some questions:

1) How useful is it to try and gauge "sparkliness" from a james allen photo? I have been looking at a few, and some make the diamond look pretty darn sparkly, while others (even with "better" specs) just look kinda dull. There''s a few examples below. My question isn''t about these stones per se, but rather "are the james allen pics accurately telling me how sparkley the stone will be?".

As an example, this stone looks kinda dull

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-VS2-Premium-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1215758.asp

while the next one is much brighter-looking.

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-VS2-Premium-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1276209.asp

2) Also, are the idealscope images really that much more useful in judging shine? ie: should I request those for several stones and use them to narrow it down, or should I thin the field first using the plain images, then use the idealscope images to sift through the shortlist?

3) Is it worth spending more on a setting with some sparkle (side-stones, etc.)? This means a smaller center stone, but likely (?) more overall sparkle to the ring. I know that this is a matter of taste, but, still, any opinions are appreciated! Remember, my goal is the shiniest diamond + ring I can get for the money.

4) It seems that (from looking at the "recently purchased rings" section of james allen), most people are buying white gold or platinum. If I get yellow gold, though, it might be a bit less obvious that the stone is a worse color grade. Is yellow gold so hopelessly out-of-style that my girl''s friends and / or coworkers will be (even sub-consciously) judgmental if she has a yellow gold ring?

5) Any advice on round vs. princess? I think my girl has a very mild preference for princess cut, but, at a low price point, I think I can (maybe) get a shinier, bigger round diamond for the same $$. I say this because the round stones (apparently) are brighter in general, and show the color less than the princess ones do, so I can go with a worse color grade, allowing me to increase the size a tiny bit...

If you have read this far, then thanks very much. I look forward to any advice y''all can offer!

 

[Dandi]

Hi gbof! Welcome!

My opinion entirely of course, but I would probably put as much cash into the biggest, brightest stone for your budget, and put it into a simple solitaire setting that showcases the diamond without too much fuss. The setting could perhaps be changed to something blingier, or sidestones added, for a future birthday or anniversary? Just a thought. I love the idea of a ring evolving like a marriage does

You're right, a round will appear larger than a princess of equal carat weight. Depending on how colour sensitive you or your girl are, you could probably sit comfortably at I/J or thereabouts without showing too much colour, and maximising size for your budget. The centre stone in my Ering is an I and looks icy white to me! You could probably do the same with clarity and drop into the SI range, just ensure with the vendor that they can check that the diamond is eyeclean, depending on if you are set on a VS diamond. I have a SI2 solitaire, and I cannot see a single speck, even through a loupe!
Good luck with your quest! I can't wait to see what you end up with!

 

[yssie]

Date: 1/26/2010 2:27:40 AM
Author:great_balls_of_fire
Hey,

Thanks for reading!

I have a few questions. Any advice is much appreciated!

First, the background:

- I am a grad. student, so I don't make much money, but I have been with the same girl now for a long time, and I love her and, well, you get it...

- So, I think I can probably scrape together about $1500, setting included, although that'll still be pretty tough.

- I have narrowed it down to round or princess cut, and my goal is to get the biggest-looking, shiniest diamond + ring I can given my meagre budget.

Now some questions:

1) How useful is it to try and gauge 'sparkliness' from a james allen photo? I have been looking at a few, and some make the diamond look pretty darn sparkly, while others (even with 'better' specs) just look kinda dull. There's a few examples below. My question isn't about these stones per se, but rather 'are the james allen pics accurately telling me how sparkley the stone will be?'.

As an example, this stone looks kinda dull

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-VS2-Premium-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1215758.asp

while the next one is much brighter-looking.

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-VS2-Premium-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1276209.asp

2) Also, are the idealscope images really that much more useful in judging shine? ie: should I request those for several stones and use them to narrow it down, or should I thin the field first using the plain images, then use the idealscope images to sift through the shortlist?

3) Is it worth spending more on a setting with some sparkle (side-stones, etc.)? This means a smaller center stone, but likely (?) more overall sparkle to the ring. I know that this is a matter of taste, but, still, any opinions are appreciated! Remember, my goal is the shiniest diamond + ring I can get for the money.

4) It seems that (from looking at the 'recently purchased rings' section of james allen), most people are buying white gold or platinum. If I get yellow gold, though, it might be a bit less obvious that the stone is a worse color grade. Is yellow gold so hopelessly out-of-style that my girl's friends and / or coworkers will be (even sub-consciously) judgmental if she has a yellow gold ring?

5) Any advice on round vs. princess? I think my girl has a very mild preference for princess cut, but, at a low price point, I think I can (maybe) get a shinier, bigger round diamond for the same $$. I say this because the round stones (apparently) are brighter in general, and show the color less than the princess ones do, so I can go with a worse color grade, allowing me to increase the size a tiny bit...

If you have read this far, then thanks very much. I look forward to any advice y'all can offer!

How exciting

You can get a great ring with your budget.

-If you know she prefers princesses, then that's definitely the way to go. If she's ambivalent though, you might consider rounds too - they tend to look larger for the same ct. wt., and they have bolder sparkles, though they are more expensive per carat.

-If three or five stone rings are options - you can get some serious sparkle

. I would spend the majority of the budget on main, central diamonds, though, and put them in a simple wg setting - pave gets expensive..

-Noone who judges based on the gold colour you choose is worth listening to! It's entirely what you and your intended want. I think YG helps mask lower colours to an extent, in that Js and Ks look less tinted - that's one view, though, and others disagree.. but no setting will make the diamond look like something it's not.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 1/26/2010 2:27:40 AM
Author:great_balls_of_fire
Hey,

Thanks for reading!

I have a few questions. Any advice is much appreciated!

First, the background:

- I am a grad. student, so I don't make much money, but I have been with the same girl now for a long time, and I love her and, well, you get it...

- So, I think I can probably scrape together about $1500, setting included, although that'll still be pretty tough.

- I have narrowed it down to round or princess cut, and my goal is to get the biggest-looking, shiniest diamond + ring I can given my meagre budget.

Now some questions:

1) How useful is it to try and gauge 'sparkliness' from a james allen photo? I have been looking at a few, and some make the diamond look pretty darn sparkly, while others (even with 'better' specs) just look kinda dull. There's a few examples below. My question isn't about these stones per se, but rather 'are the james allen pics accurately telling me how sparkley the stone will be?'. These images are meant to show inclusions, they aren't designed to show sparkle or beauty.

As an example, this stone looks kinda dull

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-VS2-Premium-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1215758.asp

while the next one is much brighter-looking.

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-VS2-Premium-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1276209.asp

2) Also, are the idealscope images really that much more useful in judging shine? ie: should I request those for several stones and use them to narrow it down, or should I thin the field first using the plain images, then use the idealscope images to sift through the shortlist? Idealscope are useful for judging light leakage or lack of, JA will supply three on request for most of their round diamonds and ASET for fancy shapes such as Princess.

3) Is it worth spending more on a setting with some sparkle (side-stones, etc.)? This means a smaller center stone, but likely (?) more overall sparkle to the ring. I know that this is a matter of taste, but, still, any opinions are appreciated! Remember, my goal is the shiniest diamond + ring I can get for the money. If the centre stone is well cut then it will sparkle a plenty! So it might be best to concentrate on that for the budget.

4) It seems that (from looking at the 'recently purchased rings' section of james allen), most people are buying white gold or platinum. If I get yellow gold, though, it might be a bit less obvious that the stone is a worse color grade. Is yellow gold so hopelessly out-of-style that my girl's friends and / or coworkers will be (even sub-consciously) judgmental if she has a yellow gold ring? I wear yellow gold as do some others but it does seem white gold or platinum is more popular these days, see if you can find out your GF's preference, platinum will take more of the budget though.

5) Any advice on round vs. princess? I think my girl has a very mild preference for princess cut, but, at a low price point, I think I can (maybe) get a shinier, bigger round diamond for the same $$. I say this because the round stones (apparently) are brighter in general, and show the color less than the princess ones do, so I can go with a worse color grade, allowing me to increase the size a tiny bit...Personally I prefer rounds but a well cut Princess can still be beautiful. If she has a definite preference then go with that.

If you have read this far, then thanks very much. I look forward to any advice y'all can offer!

Welcome GBOF! Thoughts are above.

 

[great_balls_of_fire]

Thanks for all the great responses so far!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 1/26/2010 1:57:44 PM
Author: great_balls_of_fire
Thanks for all the great responses so far!

Glad to help, just ask if you need any more assistance

 

[septembergirl]

I definitly think you should spring for the best possible stone and select a simple setting. You''ve come to the right place and there are many knowledgeable and friendly people here on this site!

 

[tyty333]

I would go with a solitare setting and put most of the money into the stone....here are 3 around the $330-$340
price range. So if we take $350 for the setting that leaves us with $1150 for the stone. If she likes princesses
then I would stick with that. H is about the lowest I would go with a princess (maybe I). Stick with an eye-clean
SI1 to get the most bang for your buck. I see what I can suggest.

Here are the 3 settings I looked at...
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/solitaire-rings.html
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/solitaire-diamond-engagement-ring.html
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/solitaire-ring.html - I think a wedding band will set flush with this
one (well more so than the other two).
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/pave/18k-White-Gold-2-2mm-Pave-Set-Diamond-Ring.html
- this does have pave on it for $490

Stones - I have not checked the numbers on these...they just look nice to me
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-SI1-Premium-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1253343.asp
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-SI1-Premium-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1276566.asp

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-SI1-Premium-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1276566.asp
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-SI1-Good-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1277930.asp

 

[septembergirl]

Date: 1/26/2010 3:14:27 PM
Author: tyty333
I would go with a solitare setting and put most of the money into the stone....here are 3 around the $330-$340
price range. So if we take $350 for the setting that leaves us with $1150 for the stone. If she likes princesses
then I would stick with that. H is about the lowest I would go with a princess (maybe I). Stick with an eye-clean
SI1 to get the most bang for your buck. I see what I can suggest.

Here are the 3 settings I looked at...
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/solitaire-rings.html
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/solitaire-diamond-engagement-ring.html
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/solitaire-ring.html - I think a wedding band will set flush with this
one (well more so than the other two).
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/pave/18k-White-Gold-2-2mm-Pave-Set-Diamond-Ring.html
- this does have pave on it for $490

Stones - I have not checked the numbers on these...they just look nice to me
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-SI1-Premium-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1253343.asp
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-SI1-Premium-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1276566.asp

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-SI1-Premium-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1276566.asp
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-SI1-Good-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1277930.asp

I love http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/pave/18k-White-Gold-2-2mm-Pave-Set-Diamond-Ring.html -- that was a good find!!!

 

[Rhea]

I can''t find the thread but there''s a great one where someone had photos of around .40 princess cut stone in a fancy setting with lots of smaller side diamonds and then something like a .50 princess in a plain setting. The .40 took up more finger space and seemed a bit bigger than the comparison because of that. I wish I could find this thread.

 

[great_balls_of_fire]

Thanks again for all the great info!

@ Addy:

Yeah, my inclination was to get something with stones on the setting, like the $490 pave setting from JA. I had seen that, but then thought "well, for $160 less, I could get a solitaire setting, maybe that $160 would get me enough more center stone to make up for it".

I''m starting to think, though, that given the relatively small price difference, it''s probably worth going with the pave setting.

This leaves me about 1K for the stone, and I saw some great suggestions in this thread.

I will post some more when I have idealscope images, etc.

Call me an over-planner or whatever, but I am planning to propose in April or May, so I have lots of time to ring-shop and to plan.

 

[DChokie]

Date: 1/26/2010 2:27:40 AM
Author:great_balls_of_fire
Hey,

Thanks for reading!

I have a few questions. Any advice is much appreciated!

First, the background:

- I am a grad. student, so I don''t make much money, but I have been with the same girl now for a long time, and I love her and, well, you get it...

- So, I think I can probably scrape together about $1500, setting included, although that''ll still be pretty tough.

- I have narrowed it down to round or princess cut, and my goal is to get the biggest-looking, shiniest diamond + ring I can given my meagre budget.

Now some questions:

1) How useful is it to try and gauge ''sparkliness'' from a james allen photo? I have been looking at a few, and some make the diamond look pretty darn sparkly, while others (even with ''better'' specs) just look kinda dull. There''s a few examples below. My question isn''t about these stones per se, but rather ''are the james allen pics accurately telling me how sparkley the stone will be?''.

As an example, this stone looks kinda dull

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-VS2-Premium-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1215758.asp

while the next one is much brighter-looking.

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-VS2-Premium-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1276209.asp

2) Also, are the idealscope images really that much more useful in judging shine? ie: should I request those for several stones and use them to narrow it down, or should I thin the field first using the plain images, then use the idealscope images to sift through the shortlist?

3) Is it worth spending more on a setting with some sparkle (side-stones, etc.)? This means a smaller center stone, but likely (?) more overall sparkle to the ring. I know that this is a matter of taste, but, still, any opinions are appreciated! Remember, my goal is the shiniest diamond + ring I can get for the money.

4) It seems that (from looking at the ''recently purchased rings'' section of james allen), most people are buying white gold or platinum. If I get yellow gold, though, it might be a bit less obvious that the stone is a worse color grade. Is yellow gold so hopelessly out-of-style that my girl''s friends and / or coworkers will be (even sub-consciously) judgmental if she has a yellow gold ring?

5) Any advice on round vs. princess? I think my girl has a very mild preference for princess cut, but, at a low price point, I think I can (maybe) get a shinier, bigger round diamond for the same $$. I say this because the round stones (apparently) are brighter in general, and show the color less than the princess ones do, so I can go with a worse color grade, allowing me to increase the size a tiny bit...

If you have read this far, then thanks very much. I look forward to any advice y''all can offer!

Welcome! Biggest looking and shiny? That''s a good start. It''s my opinion (and seemingly the opinion of the board at large) that you can compromise most on color and clarity without sacrificing the beauty of the stone. That''s what I did (H color, VS2 clarity, no one can tell it''s not an F/IF from glacing at it on her hand).

You want sparkly? The biggest lesson I learned from these boards is that cut will determine the brilliance (sparkliness) of your stone. If you want eye-catching sparkle, do not compromise on cut.

Answers to your specific questions:

1) Gauge sparkliness from a photo? Not in my experience. Get the specs, punch them into the HCA, and use it to weed out poor performers (as will be said over and over here, HCA shouldn''t be used to pick between two or three stones). Pick out stones with a high cut grade.

2) Idealscope will show you light loss. The less light lost through the stone, the more will bouce back out and thus, the more sparkle. Start with cut grades and HCA, then use idealscopes to weed.

3) This is a matter of taste. I went with a solitare setting - no side stones - and it really makes the diamond stand out. It may even create the optical illusion that the stone is bigger than it really is. Plus, it''s the setting that she wanted.

4) See if you can gauge what the girlfriend wants. My girlfriend expressed a strong dislike of yellow (or even white) gold, so I went with platinum.

5) I went with round brilliant. A well-cut RB can''t be beat, in my opinion. But I strongly recommend finding out which cut your girlfriend wants. Let her decide this.

Hope this helps. I''m no expert - I''m just a guy that was once in your position, and people here helped me quite a lot, and I want to pay it forward. Good luck.