A little help, Please

[Pac Man]

Hi everyone,

I''ve been visiting this board for a few months now and have finally plucked up the courage to make my first post! I''m planning to propose to my lovely girlfriend very soon - hopefully at Christmas, but maybe later if I keep struggling to pick a ring! - and would really like to get some advice from you all. I''ve been looking around for a ring for about four weeks now and have identified a cushion-cut style that I really like (it has a halo of smaller diamonds around the centre stone). The stone is also bezel set so you can''t really see the sides.

I wondered if anyone would have answers to the few questions that have been troubling me most lately:

1. How important is clarity? My sales advisor has found rings for me ranging between VVS1 and VS1. In appearance terms, is there a big difference between these clarities? If I were to pick a VS1 ring, would this still be adequate? Can the eye pick up any imperfections at VS1?

2. How would a G or H colour diamond look? My advisor has been able to find a number of rings with either G or H colour - but did not have any instore, the lowest colour I saw was an F. Will they look grey? Or isn''t there much difference between an F and, say, a H?

3. How tight should the ring fit? I took my girlfriend to look at rings a while ago and she had her measurements taken. The man serving us said that the ring should not move around and that there should be resistance at the knuckle. But my girlfriend felt that the size he recommended was slightly tight. Is this how the ring should feel?

I''ve already learnt so much from this amazing website but any thoughts on my specific questions would be really welcome! Thanks.

 

[rockpaperscissors67]

I hope this helps a little bit, but you should keep in mind that a lot of what you and your gf like in diamonds is going to be personal preference.

1. Clarity is important at a certain point, but I personally wouldn''t pay for a VVS stone. I have a VS2 and it has a carbon spot that I can see if I look from the bottom up through the girdle -- I like this because it''s very easy for me to identify my stone after it''s been out for work. No one can see the spot looking from the top down unless they are louping it. Lots of people have eye clean SI1s and I think it''s a smart move to go down in clarity as far as you can so you can concentrate on getting an excellent cut stone.

2. A G or H stone will have a *very* slight hint of yellow and how much this bothers you depends on how color sensitive you are. I''m not color sensitive at all -- my stone is an E and once I compared a G and an H to my E and couldn''t tell any difference. The preference for color can depend on the cut, too. My stone is a princess and my fiance really wanted a colorless stone, which I was fine with. However, I would love to get a old cut stone and I wouldn''t want that to be colorless. I''ve already told SO that I want something in the J-L range. So, again, it''s personal preference and sensitivity.

3. I prefer my engagement ring to fit so that most of the time it doesn''t turn, but I also can''t stand for it to be too tight. I had my finger sized at the end of a day because at that point, my fingers were more swollen than they are in the morning. Still, during the winter even at the end of the day, my ring spins. I''d have your gf''s finger measured when her fingers are most swollen because that will probably give her the most comfort.

 

[glitterata]

You will probably get more answers to this query if you ask the moderators to move it to the "Rocky Talky" forum. That''s where most discussions of diamond engagement rings happen, and it gets lots more readers. You can use the "report concern" button to ask the moderators to move it.

But to answer your questions:

1. With just your naked eye you won''t be able to tell the difference between VS and VVS clarity. Many SI diamonds and even a few I1 diamonds are also "eye clean." So only spend the money for higher clarity if you are one of those people who hates the idea of hidden imperfections in the diamond.

2. Depends on how color sensitive you and your girlfriend are. Most people will find that diamonds down to H or I look very white/clear. And most low-color diamonds are not gray but a touch yellow.

3. I like my rings a little loose rather than a little tight. My fingers are dramatically different sizes in summer vs. winter. My rings are tight in summer and spin in winter, and I have some rings that I wear only in summer, others in winter.