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jny04

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Sep 14, 2009
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Im from the UK, and looking to get engaged to my grlfriend of 6 yrs in Paris in Oct. However I have a round a 2.5-3.5k budget and looking for a ring.

So far the rings ive seen at shops are overpriced! - however bluenile uk - has some interesting ones....

I wonder if anyone can help, I am looking for something that has carat, but is cut VG+....

Ive seen these stones at blue nile any one can assist or have any thougts i would be grateful.....

http://www.bluenile.co.uk/emerald-cut-diamond-1-carat-very-good-cut-j-colour-vvs2-clarity_LD01287606?__fun_frm=i&filter_id=1

http://www.bluenile.co.uk/princess-cut-diamond-1-carat-very-good-cut-j-colour-vvs2-clarity_LD01072223?__fun_frm=i&filter_id=1

However i am open to suggestions...

I was in the Carribean recently - and should have bought one there - kicking myself I didnt - !
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Hope you can help thanks.
 
If it were me, I would rather go up in color and down in clarity. A stone can be eye clean (so that inclusions can''t be seen with the naked eye) but color of a stone is usually obvious. Unless you prefer a warmer color in a diamond, you are better off going with a G or H SI1, or VS2 stone.
 
Ok thanks, im not sure of the shape, like emeralds, and princess.... round of course.....

The shop showed me a comparison in colour I couldnt tell untill it go to O if im honest...

s1/2 have alot of flaws? whats the wrst flaw? cloud, feather? crystal?
 
Any idea what your girlfriend prefers for the shape? Someone that likes round will probably not like a princess/emerald.
 
Flaws is dependent on the placement, extent and magnitude. Case by case. Also note that clarity grade is based on table view.

It is relatively easy to find eye-clean SI1 stones but much more difficult as you go down the clarity grades.
 
her sister got a princess - and she liked that shape.....
 
prob looking at a pricess cut then 1.20 -1.35? is this a good size stone? carat?
 
Princess with a good cut is much more difficult to find than a round as AGS is the only lab that grades a princess in cut. A search on the database for AGS graded princess, your budget will only get you a 1 carat stone.

There are good GIA graded stones, but you will need images to say if it is any good rather than the vendor's grading system.

For example this is a good GIA stone and the information presented.
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/5829/
 
Hello jny04 and welcome to Pricescope!

I, too, am in the UK and agree that most shops over here sell poor quality overpriced diamonds. You are much better off buying online, and even importing from the US. Check out the following vendors: Good Old Gold, Whiteflash and James Allen, among others. Once converted into dollars, your budget will go a fair way, even with import duty (2.5% + 15% VAT).

Personally, I would also prefer a lower clarity whiter diamond, although ''J'' grade is still very nice. If your future FI likes the princess shape, you''ve got half of your answer. Next, try to find out the type of ring she might like; sisters usually make good detectives!

A proposal in Paris...how wonderful! If you tell the above-mentioned vendors that you are tight on time, I am sure they will do their best.

Good luck, and let us know how you get on!
 
thanks can you give me an example of importing say the ring was 2200?

"Check out the following vendors: Good Old Gold, Whiteflash and James Allen, among others. Once converted into dollars, your budget will go a fair way, even with import duty (2.5% + 15% VAT)."?

Sorry not sure what you mean? I thought importing it would be a crazy price?

Which one of the above is the better? if I were too? is bluenile no good?

thanks for your help all -
 
You will have VAT even with BN. But I can''t find any AGS0 stones of your budget on BN and they do not provide additional information on the cut of the stone other than the grading report, so I will steer clear from them.

I think importing just the stone is cheaper than a completed ring. UK PSers can tell more.
 
Hello again,

We imported my engagement ring stone and paid only 15% VAT - you don''t pay duty when you buy a stone only and have it set here in the UK. However, if you buy a complete ring, you will need to pay 2.5% duty on top of the VAT. This is still worth considering, as many jewellers in Hatton Garden (London) will try to charge you £700-1000 for a simple white gold or platinum setting, ie not one that is pave or has any additional smaller diamonds.

So, when it came to purchasing my right hand ring, I bought the whole thing in the US and it worked out cheaper, even with duty charge. Not to mention you will have A LOT more choice in terms of finding a beautifully cut diamond, the service from any of the previously mentioned vendors will be wonderful, and the ring settings are usually cheaper too.

Please let me know if you need any more info on buying from abroad, importing, or shopping around in the UK.
 
Im a bit confused Stone-cold11 - Blue Nile is showing as GIA stones? whats AGS?

I was ready to buy one, now I think with the advice which has been helpful, should I import, would it arrive before the 9th October

I thought I would get a VS1 1.2 Princess cut J or I colour... but now im like - I dont know wat to do.....

I was in a diamond specialist, and the girl (who admittedly was only there part time) said I would be better going online and having a look....

I really am not sure what to do now....

I want something over a carat, that is noticeable, and sparkles. :)
 
2 labs. GIA is the bigger lab, you will see a lot more stones from them online, but they do not grade Princess on the cut. AGS is a smaller lab, on par with GIA on color and clarity grading and stricter on cut grading. They are also the only lab so far to grade Princess cut so they are safer if you are buying blind. But if the online vendor supplies images such as ASET, GIA graded stones can still be good as shown by the example I gave above.

How to interpret the ASET image:
http://www.highperformancediamonds.com/index.php?page=education-performance
 
I know, this place is a bit of an information overload!

AGS stands for American Gem Society Laboratories, a diamond grading lab, argued to be the best by many. There are many threads on here debating whether AGS or GIA rule, but both are VERY reputable labs. However, just because a stone is graded by either, doesn''t automatically mean it''s great looking. I know you are pushed for time, but do try to do a bit of research and ask as many questions as you''d like; everyone here will do their best to help you.

Dr Indira Marchant is based in London and carries beautiful Infinity diamonds, (branded Hearts & Arrows diamonds - search PS for ''Infinity'' and you will see how highly regarded these diamonds are). You can''t go wrong with these as they are stunning. You won''t get over a carat for your budget, however you will get tons and tons of sparkle! She will get the diamonds in for you to view in her city-based office. You would only pay the VAT and no import duty, and she can have the stone set for you too. If you want to find out more, check out High Performance Diamonds for the current stock list and don''t worry about the stones being abroad, Dr Marchant can request any stone you''d like to view from the list.

http://www.highperformancediamonds.com/index.php?page=diamond-search&sort=&order=&offset=&search=1&shapes%5B%5D=2&price_from=0&price_to=200%2C000&carat_from=0&carat_to=10&color_grade_from=1&color_grade_to=24&clarity_grade_from=12&clarity_grade_to=10&show_infinity=1&show_cut_grade%5B%5D=1&show_cut_grade%5B%5D=2&show_cut_grade%5B%5D=3&show_cut_grade%5B%5D=All&Submit=++++Search++++&limit=100
 
Check out

http://www.highperformancediamonds.com/index.php?page=view-id-diamond-infinity&id=454

It''s 4755$ = £2870 and it will be a great stone guaranteed! You need to add VAT, but then take off 5% PS discount.
Infinity also offer 80% to buy back your stone should you ever want/need to sell or upgrade.

Don''t let the SI2 clarity scare you, I''ve seen I1 Infinity stones where I couldn''t tell the inclusions and I have a very sharp eye.
 
thanks, that maybe a problem as I am in Scotland, and there is not many places.....

I thought I had completed alot of research, ratios, flaws, colour, cuts, I was going to choose a VERY GOOD Cut, than Ideal, and a VS1 clarity.
and the colour would have admittedly been high - HJI.....
 
Jny04, you can find beautiful VG cut stones. Use the HCA tool (look under ''tools'' in the menus above) to weed out the ones not performing so well. As for colour/clarity grades, it''s all about preferences. For me, VS1 isn''t a must - I would go for it if I had budget to spare but would prefer to have a bigger VS2 or SI1 stone.
 
Date: 9/14/2009 10:59:33 AM
Author: dinamit
Jny04, you can find beautiful VG cut stones. Use the HCA tool (look under ''tools'' in the menus above) to weed out the ones not performing so well. As for colour/clarity grades, it''s all about preferences. For me, VS1 isn''t a must - I would go for it if I had budget to spare but would prefer to have a bigger VS2 or SI1 stone.
Click to expand...

HCA is not applicable to Princess, only works for Round Brilliant.
 
Oh of course, thanks Stone-Cold, I wasn''t thinking straight! Jny04, apologies for the misleading information...
 
ok thanks - it is most likely to be princess, but having read the info above, im not so sure what to do..... go for a lower colour, or higher!.... im meeting a diamond wholesaler tomorrow, an old directors friend - he has- stones (below) - and said he will do me a deal....

1.Princess cut diamond set in 18ct white gold F colour VS1 clarity 1.00cts
2.Princess cut loose diamond F colour SI1 clarity 1.23cts.
3.Emerald cut loose diamond F colour SI1 clarity 1.23cts.

I will see how I get on with him, and take it from there..... any rough ideas on price?

If you have any more thoughts, or would assist in picking a few options, I will follow this up.....

I honestyl do i appreciate your help so much, I looked at stones in Canada, and St Maarten in the summer, I should have bought one then!

Cheers Jon
 
F colour is a colourless grade and will look very white. It''s impossible to tell whether any of these will be good based on the info provided, but luckily you will see them in person. Is there anywhere near you where you can look at well cut princess stones for visual reference? Also, be sure that your girl likes the emerald shape if you consider purchasing one.

Not that it matters much, but generally I would prefer the 1.23 SI1, providing it''s well cut.
 
One other thing to note is which lab graded these stones? Generally, GIA/AGS are the most respected labs, clarity and color are consistent, other labs are less consistent and stones graded by them are therefore discounted in price and the cheapest priced stones are usually ungraded stones.
 
On, one other thing, check out the GemAdviser on the GOG/HPD stones. It can be read with a free program and will give you a simulation of how the stone looks like in motion. So you will have a reference to what to see, look for, when you view the stone tomorrow.

EDT:
And also watch some of the videos on both site for Princess. I think GOG should also have some videos for emeralds.
 
just spoken to the chap, he said the stones are stunning, and he would only sell me quality, as he is setting up a new business, and a good rep means alot.

Ive told him my budget so lets hope - thanks again....
 
Jny04, you got some great advice from Stone-Cold re: GemAdvisor and videos.

The stones might be total beauties, but without meaning any disrespect, most sellers will say exactly that. Please forgive me, I am slightly alarmed by the fact that he hasn''t (or you haven''t shared them) told you about any specifics, but just how great the stones are. Buying an e-ring diamond is a big and important purchase, hence we are making all these suggestions so you can make an informed decision.

Good luck!
 
Hi Jny
I too am from Scotland and found reading the posts on this web page very imformative and helpful. I have ended up getting 5 princess cut diamonds from the US and getting a place in Glasgow to make the ring for me. I was finding that the shops in the UK were very overpriced for the carat etc you were getting. I would say your best bet is to get one from the US and you will be much cheaper and get a better end result. Need to suss your girlfriend out and see what she likes first. Good luck and I hope it all goes well for you.
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hi thanks, Im away to see him now, thanks for all your advice, im not sure from looking at the usa prices, it would be cheaper getting one imported, ill come back with the details later - and advise - and ask him for the certificates (labs) etc.

cheers

J
 
Good luck. :)
 
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