About $25,000 to spend on a round stone - can anyone help?

[kipp]

How would this stone stack up? It''s a 2.5 ct. J, but it''s got medium blue fluorescence which should be a big plus for a lesser quality color, right? Its a VVS1 as well, which is a plus.

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/2221/

 

[diamondseeker2006]

The cut is gorgeous! But again, I''d rather have a stone closer to 2 cts. that is G or H color. It''ll be great to let her see the stones together. Then she can learn what her tolerance for color is.

 

[Regular Guy]

Though everything''s a matter of taste, symbol, and preference, there''s some education, too.

Generally, VVS anything isn''t too well thought of here, at least in deference to a trade off in color. Though I''d no objection going up to H, I''d recommend staying there or better.

This one is one I just brought up, you might consider.

 

[Kim N]

Date: 8/10/2006 12:55:11 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006
The cut is gorgeous! But again, I''d rather have a stone closer to 2 cts. that is G or H color. It''ll be great to let her see the stones together. Then she can learn what her tolerance for color is.

Kipp, it''s up to your and her eyes, of course, but I agree with diamondseeker. If I had your budget, I''d personally rather get a stone G or H in color. Also, eye-clean SI clarity stones are pretty common and a great deal. Many PSers recommend compromising a bit on clarity rather than on color when choosing a stone. It wouldn''t hurt to consider an SI1 clarity stone.

 

[drk]

Kipp,

I think taking your future DF to see GOG is a great idea! My DH and I went there together to look at diamonds, and I really didn't know what I wanted at the time. Our budget was 1/5 of yours, so I was looking at anything from 0.8G VS1 to 1.2 K SI1. I didn't know how I'd feel about colour, and initially thought I needed a smaller size, higher colour and better clarity to make me happy. I ended up falling for a 1.2 K SI1 instead, which Jonathan brought out near the end of our visit when we asked if he had anything else he thought we would like better than a 1.18 J VVS1 (I think...). Our K ended up looking less warm than the J, so I think you'll get a lot out of comparing the stones in person. Just make sure he'll have enough in house for you to look at, and if you're really keen on one or two stones, you could see if he could put a deposit on your credit card to hold them for you.

We made an appointment because we were flying to New York especially to look at diamonds, and we knew Sat would be a busy day. We went first thing, I think around 10am, and ended up spending 2.5 hours there with Jonathan. It was great to play with some of his toys, have the stones measured in the ISEE2 machine etc. The appointment was theoretically for 1h, but Jon was really generous with his time. Tell him you're from pricescope, and I'm sure he or another of his staff will look after you very well!

Going to see the diamonds with my DH was the highlight of our long weekend in New York. I knew the proposal was coming, we had looked at ring styles together, and I had done all the researching and found pricescope on my own. I would probably have been annoyed to NOT have input on my diamond and ring.

Hope you have a successful and exciting visit this weekend. Be sure to post lots of photos and details when you buy your ring. I'm sure it will be a beauty with the kind of budget you have!

 

[aljdewey]

Date: 8/10/2006 12:33:16 PM
Author: kipp
How would this stone stack up? It''s a 2.5 ct. J, but it''s got medium blue fluorescence which should be a big plus for a lesser quality color, right? Its a VVS1 as well, which is a plus.

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/2221/

Beautiful stone, and no compromises.

I''d likely still prefer the 2.36 I, VS2 stone, only because I personally would rather spend the $$ on better color than on better clarity. I don''t see a visible different between VS and VVS most times, so I''d rather improve color.

But, if you decide you''d rather have stronger clarity, it''s a beautiful candidate. Great numbers and no compromises.

 

[kipp]

Date: 8/10/2006 12:33:16 PM
Author: kipp
How would this stone stack up? It''s a 2.5 ct. J, but it''s got medium blue fluorescence which should be a big plus for a lesser quality color, right? Its a VVS1 as well, which is a plus.

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/2221/

Drats!!! I''m going tomorrow morning and they just sold this one. I guess it wasn''t meant to be. Anyway, tomorrow''s the big day to meet with Tim and talk about rocks with my GF, so wish us luck on our quest to find the perfect stone!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Good luck, Kipp, and we''ll look forward to hearing about your visit!

 

[Groovy Chick]

Just my 2 cents worth, have''nt the time to read the whole thread (sorry) but just wanted to say that with such a great budget for your stone I personally would be going a little higher than H with colour and if anything lower with clarity (eyeclean SI1 maybe) . I have an E (used to have a G) and I just love the icy whiteness of it and how beautifully clear it is when I see it side on. The colour would be even more noticeable in a four prong setting, mine is a six.

Great decision to go for a round as they give the most sparkle provided of course the cut is good. The cut is the most important ''C'' of all I believe.

That''s just my opinion of course. I''m sure whatever stone you end up getting she will love it and it will be beautiful as all diamonds are!!

GC from NZ

 

[Mara]

kipp, my two cents are that the best thing to do is definitely check out the stones in person and see what your and your gal''s color preferences are.

it''s all fine and dandy for us all to chime in about what WE would buy with $25k, but we won''t be wearing the ring. and you are lucky enough to be able to visit GOG and see exceptional stones in person and get a feel for what you both really feel comfortable with. it will also show you what the cut differences are between mediocre and exceptional and you will get to see clarity differences as well. you may find you are more comfortable than you thought with going down in either color or clarity.

good luck and keep us posted!

 

[phoenixgirl]

How was it???

 

[kipp]

So,

We spent a couple of hours there, which was great, because Tim was able to show us all the tools and let us see all the differences up close. The good news is that when we looked at the color range (he showed us a 1 ct each E through J) we both agreed that the J was a little too much color, but we thought the I looked fine (it really is true that D looks like E, E looks like F, F looks like G, but none of them look alike - however, I will say that even all the way down to I, the color was really negligible, and I think it would only be recognizible if you were comparing two stones directly, side by side, and looking at them directly from the side). Obviously, color varies from stone to stone, but based on what we saw the GF definitely decided that an I colored stone looked totally great. I''ll also say that after looking at several stones there, clarity is probably the one thing I am willing to go furthest down on. There is clearly no difference to the eye between VVS1 and VS2, at least not that I could tell at all with my eyes, and certainly my GF could not.

Another thing to note was that Tim had 4 H&A stones that were all in the 2.4 - 2.5 ct range for us to look at, and he laid them all out for us to look at, but he wouldn''t let us see the specs on them until we''d decided which one we liked the best. The only one I said I could tell any difference in was a J color stone, and I said it just looked a little too colored to me. My GF couldn''t tell the difference between any of them face up, but the one she said kept grabbing her eye was this stone Link. Then, Tim explained that if neither of us could tell the difference, there was probably no point in spending an additional $13,000 for the F VS1 stone that he was showing us. I guess we both agreed on that point. So, it was a great experience all in all, and I think I will try to get this one that stood out to the GF so long as someone doesn''t snatch it up quickly (I''ll probably have them reserve it on Tuesday if I''ve made up my mind). Although it''s an SI1, I had to look really hard from the bottom and the side to be able to see the inclusion. I could finally see it through the table once I knew where to look, but it''s eye clean to us, and that is what counts.

One other good thing was that my GF found a setting that she really liked. We had planned to get the setting done by DeNatale in NY, but we both really liked one of the settings that Tim showed us, so hopefully we''ll be able to go with GOG for everything. Here''s the setting. It is a very thin band, which should show off the roughly 2.5 ct. stone. I think the band is 2.2 mm. Here''s the link

I will let you know how it all goes going forward. Perhaps I''ll be posting in the proposal forum once I''ve gotten the ring all straightened out.

One other quick question. How does GOG deal with this pesky sales tax issue? Perhaps my Aunt in Rhode Island is interested in purchasing a ring for herself? Do you think she''d like the stone and setting above? Perhaps that would work.

Let me know what you think.

Thanks for all your help!

 

[anchor31]

Wow, what a ring that will be!! Congrats!!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Oh my! I''d say a 2.5 ct. will be a very nice e-ring! Thanks so much for your report on color! It makes me feel better about my decision as well! I wish you had put it on hold, though, because sometimes there are people lurking on here reading stone recommendations!

I talked to Christen about that setting either yesterday or Thursday. I sure would love to see a stone set in it! It does look beautiful!

 

[gladstone]

With a generous budget of $25,000 I would do a lot of homework and then pick a stone by myself and ask for opinion of people on this site.

Flame me if you want; but I don''t think you get great advice this way. Some people think J is still colorless, Some think VS is a waste of money. Most people don''t have this kind of budget therefore they lower the color and clarity to get a larger stone. But with 25K, Carat weight should be your last consideration. Do your homework and decide for yourself.

 

[Regular Guy]

Kipp,

Really great job. Looks like you''ve set a good example for many on how to do it.

Many thanks,

 

[Mara]

kipp sounds like you found a winner!! in terms of the whole sales tax thing, i think gog may charge if you have it shipped to an address in NY but maybe not outside of the state? i''d ask them.

 

[Peerless]

Kipp, did u look at this stone? If so, how did it compare to the stone you are favoring?

-Peerless

 

[gladstone]

Another thing to note was that Tim had 4 H&A stones that were all in the 2.4 - 2.5 ct range for us to look at, and he laid them all out for us to look at, but he wouldn''t let us see the specs on them until we''d decided which one we liked the best.

Kip,

I have a question for you. When you looked at those 4 stones, with color and clarity out of the picture, do you see any difference in term of optical performance? Does one stone sparkle more then the other three? I have always wanted to know if you can tell the difference between the stones when every stones you look at is IDEAL. If they all look fantastic to you and you can''t pick out one out of those 4 base on light performance, then those HIGH are just as good as VH (Very High) on the Gemex brilliant scope scale (when view in person)

 

[kipp]

Date: 8/13/2006 12:52:42 AM
Author: Peerless
Kipp, did u look at this stone? If so, how did it compare to the stone you are favoring?

-Peerless

We did see that stone in fact, and what we both pretty much concluded was that we could see the difference in size between the 2.52 and the 2.38, and given that the only flaw in the SI1 was a clear bubble you can''t see, for the same price, better to go with the larger stone.

 

[kipp]

Date: 8/13/2006 7:43:04 AM
Author: gladstone
Another thing to note was that Tim had 4 H&A stones that were all in the 2.4 - 2.5 ct range for us to look at, and he laid them all out for us to look at, but he wouldn''t let us see the specs on them until we''d decided which one we liked the best.

Kip,

I have a question for you. When you looked at those 4 stones, with color and clarity out of the picture, do you see any difference in term of optical performance? Does one stone sparkle more then the other three? I have always wanted to know if you can tell the difference between the stones when every stones you look at is IDEAL. If they all look fantastic to you and you can''t pick out one out of those 4 base on light performance, then those HIGH are just as good as VH (Very High) on the Gemex brilliant scope scale (when view in person)

In terms of optical performance, they all looked EXACTLY the same to me. That''s why when my GF said "a pretty stone" was her only requirement, it felt good watching her stare at all 4 stones, totally unable to pick the "best" one out of the bunch. I have a hunch that the 2.52 ct. stood out to her because her eyes could distinguish subconciously that it was the biggest.

 

[drk]

Kipp,
About shipping - GOG will ship to hold for pickup at Fedex locations (you have to find one that has that service). I was debating having ours shipped to NJ and popping across by taxi from NYC to pick it up, but it wouldn''t have been ready in time while we were there. I think there was a pretty convenient Fedex location too. Just search for the closest out-of-state fedex location that will do this, and you''re set!

 

[gladstone]

GOG uses UPS instead of Fedex. UPS also have hold-at-location service. I would hope one day that these vendors will look at your IDs/Credit Card billing address and say you are of state of NY or even out of the country and allow you to pickup the stone at the store without taxes.

GOG is also my vendor of choice. Great service! Tim & Christen are my favourite staffs at GOG.

 

[Mexi]

You have picked out a stunning stone and setting. Please reserve it - you can always change your mind later.

 

[Carlotta]

Date: 8/13/2006 11:45:14 AM
Author: Mexi
You have picked out a stunning stone and setting. Please reserve it - you can always change your mind later.

I agree..fill out that online form NOW!!!! That''s a beauty

.........we will need lots of pictures!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[kipp]

I just reserved it. I am having it shipped to a co-worker in NJ, so that should fix the tax issue.

Thank you all for your help, and I will be sure to post some pictures when I get the ring.

 

[kipp]

So here's an update.

I'll have the ring tomorrow - In the meantime, GOG sent me a few pictures to tide me over. It's tough to get an idea of how big the stone will look given these pictures, but given that it's 2.525 carats I think she'll be happy. The shank on the setting is 2.3mm wide.

Thanks everyone for your help. Now all I have to do is get the proposal right (she only knows that I'm proposing between now and the end of the year).

To recap, here are the specs:

Shape: Round
Carat Weight: 2.525ct
Color: I
Clarity: SI1
AGS Cut Grade: Ideal
GIA Cut Grade: Excellent
Optical Symmetry: Ideal
Polish: Ideal
Symmetry: Ideal
Fluorescence: Negligible
Girdle: 1.55%
Culet: None
Lab Report: AGS
Lab Report #: 7491110
In House: Yes
Width: 8.73mm
Length: 8.77mm
Depth: 5.39mm
Table Percentage: 55.19%
Depth Percentage: 61.61%
Crown <: 35.21°
Crown Depth: 15.81%
Pavilion <: 40.57°
Pavilion Depth: 42.71%
Upper Girdle <: 41.69°
Lower Girdle <: 41.87°

 

[Dee*Jay]

Wow--it''s gorgeous! You''ll have to keep us posted on the proposal and hand pics are absolutely required once she says yes!

 

[sevens one]

"now and the end of the year"? I hope it''s soon so we can see some hand shots!

The stone looks like a winner. I love that setting too.
Congrats on your purchase.

 

[kipp]

It''s actually going to be sooner rather than later (within 30 days), and there is a BIG surprise for her in addition to the proposal. I feel like I need to post under pseudonym in case she is watching since I don''t want to give the details away (she knows I''ve used the forums to get advice and I''m afraid she''s watching my every move in anticipation).