Advice on 3 carat stone

[big_steve123]

Hi,

I need some help with getting the best stone for my budget. My SO wants a large stone (2.7+ carat) for a 4 prong solitaire setting in gold. I have about $18k to spend so I know I will have to make some compromises in color and/or clarity to get a stone that size.

We looked at a 3.16 carat, K color, SI2 together that she liked. Attached is a photo of the stone and the GIA report. I am just not sure if I am getting the best value for my money with this stone.

Do you think this stone is a good value for $18k or are there better options for me?

Thank you for all your help!

 

[lovedogs]

Absolutely run from that stone. It's a hard no. We look for the following:
Table between 54-57 sometimes 58
Depth between 60-62.4
Crown angle: 34-35
Pavillion angle: 40.6-40.8

And check the numbers of anything you consider on the HCA (unless buying an AGS000 stone, which doesn't need the extra check).

 

[lovedogs]

I'm worried that your GF doesn't understand how expensive diamonds are. Getting 2.7+ for less than 18k is going to be very challenging, especially if she wants a colorless stone. Have you had an honest conversation about budget/size expectations? You could get her a big stone that doesn't perform well (like the one you linked), but a great stone that's smaller will perform better and likely look much nicer overall.

 

[lovedogs]

Ok--so IF (and this is a huge if), your GF is ok with a tinted stone (e.g. one with obvious yellow/brown), then there are some options. But most ppl don't want that, and I would NEVER suggest doing it without explicitly asking her.

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...l-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-5864939
This will look champagne in tone. As I said, most ppl don't like this look. But it's in budget and a good size, plus it has good proportions.

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...l-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-4716182
Another one, but will have this yellow tint.


If your GF wants colorless, there just aren't any well cut options in budget that I can find. Here's an outstanding one from WF (which has a great upgrade policy where you only need to spend $1 more):
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-4068027.htm?source=pricescope

If I were you, I'd get something like this and then upgrade to a larger stone when funds allow.

 

[seaurchin]

I'm not nearly as knowledgeable about diamonds as many on here so someone please correct me if any of this is wrong:

My understanding is that the cut rating is the most important factor in appearance. And for something you'll likely be satisfied with, you'd want "Excellent" on that rather than "Very Good," going by the GIA rating system.

I think that 3 carat mark brings on a big price jump so maybe you'd get an additional "discount" from that on stones that are a little under 3 carats.

You might also find more bargains with the shapes that are currently less popular, like pears and marquises (which both also look much larger than rounds, due to the shape). Old mine cuts seem to be priced lower as well and go by their own rules, it seems.

And, if you don't already know, medium to strong blue fluorescence can make a lower colored stone appear whiter.

A yellow gold setting can also make a lower colored stone appear whiter, as can either having no side stones or side stones that aren't a higher color grade than the main stone.

I have a 2.75 carat marquise on the way from Adiamor for about $13,000. Mine is also K color but "Excellent" cut and SI1. I am a little suspicious because of the low price though, and won't see it in person until next week.

Good luck!

 

[lovedogs]

I'm not nearly as knowledgeable about diamonds as many on here so someone please correct me if any of this is wrong:

My understanding is that the cut rating is the most important factor in appearance. And for something you'll likely be satisfied with, you'd want "Excellent" on that rather than "Very Good," going by the GIA rating system.

You might also find more bargains with the shapes that are currently less popular, like pears and marquises (which both also look much larger than rounds, due to the shape). Old mine cuts seem to be priced lower as well and go by their own rules, it seems.

I have a 2.75 carat marquise on the way from Adiamor for $13,000. That, and pears, also look much larger than rounds because of the shape. Mine is also K color but "Excellent" cut and SI1. I am a little suspicious because of the low price though, and won't see it in person until next week.

Good luck!

This is partially correct! Cut IS the most important factor--totally spot on! Unfortunately, GIA XXX doesn't guarantee an excellent performing stone (for rounds), because GIA XXX is a broad category that includes some duds. So I definitely would rule out anything less than GIA XXX, but its not sufficient to guarantee a great stone. In the fancy shapes, you will have more options. And yes, marquis/oval will look bigger for the weight vs. rounds.

 

[big_steve123]

Thanks for the advice. Some good things to consider.

I found this 2.8 carat one that has an HCA of 1.6. What do you think?
https://www.adiamor.com/Diamonds/J-SI2-Excellent-Cut-Round-Diamond/D40343868

 

[lovedogs]

Thanks for the advice. Some good things to consider.

I found this 2.8 carat one that has an HCA of 1.6. What do you think?
https://www.adiamor.com/Diamonds/J-SI2-Excellent-Cut-Round-Diamond/D40343868

I would avoid this one as well, unfortunately. The inclusions will be very noticible, and will likely affect the light performance negatively. In general (unless you find a unicorn), you want to stick with SI1 or above for such a large stone (especially for an e-ring).

Given your strict requirements, I would give ID jewelery in NY a call. Yeukitel has a knack for finding "unicorn" stones for people, and I trust him to find you something that works for your budget and is high quality. However, that doesn't come with an upgrade policy.

So overall, I'd still recommend getting a smaller stone with incredible performance from Whiteflash and then upgrading later on.

 

[seaurchin]

lovedogs, just if you have the time, are there any on the Adiamor site that are within or close to what he stated that you would recommend, if he doesn't want to compromise much on the size? Now I'm curious lol.

 

[lovedogs]

lovedogs, just if you have the time, are there any on the Adiamor site that are within or close to what he stated that you would recommend, if he doesn't want to compromise much on the size? Now I'm curious lol.

I'm sure there are smaller ones on adiamor that would work, but there's nothing in budget and size that is colorless on any of the PS websites (searched using PS search tool)

 

[seaurchin]

Also, big steve, fwiw, the same diamond is often listed on several different sites, at varying prices. That might help you out a little too, just depending.

ETA: Does it have to be a round?

 

[seaurchin]

P.S. It looks to me like you could get a nice 2.5 carat stone for 18k, if that would work.

Personally, while I completely understand the extra fun of presenting your beloved with a giant diamond, I also really like the upgrade idea, too. Especially as someone who's been married for years, it does not seem fair to me when the newbies get the giant rocks. I had to earn mine with "good time" or whatever they call it in jail. Just kiddin'. Sort of! But it is nice to also have an upgrade to look forward to on a later anniversary.

Do you have any more stones we can weigh in on?

ETA: One more thought fwiw, though this too is a bit off what you had originally listed, if you went down on the size and left enough in the budget for a halo setting rather than the four-prong, it would still be quite a visual stunner.

 

[big_steve123]

SO definitely wants round and a four prong. I am leaning towards the smaller, higher quality option that could later be upgraded. 2.2 carat still seems like a pretty large stone, right?

 

[seaurchin]

SO definitely wants round and a four prong. I am leaning towards the smaller, higher quality option that could later be upgraded. 2.2 carat still seems like a pretty large stone, right?

Definitely.

 

[big_steve123]

Thoughts on these two:
https://www.adiamor.com/Diamonds/2....Cut-Round-Diamond/D42670807?&refer=pricescope

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...t-k-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-98683

 

[lovedogs]

Thoughts on these two:
https://www.adiamor.com/Diamonds/2....Cut-Round-Diamond/D42670807?&refer=pricescope

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...t-k-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-98683

The angles arent complementary on the adiamor one, but you can ask for AS/ASET to see what it looks like. The JA is a hard pass. It looks dark and poorly cut. How big is your SO's finger?

 

[lovedogs]

And ps. WF/High performance diamonds are the only vendors with the upgrade policies as easy as "1$ more". JA you have to spend double, which gets really rough at bigger sizes. Just to keep it in mind.

 

[seaurchin]

Adiamor also states double the purchase price for upgrades.

 

[SimoneDi]

SO definitely wants round and a four prong. I am leaning towards the smaller, higher quality option that could later be upgraded. 2.2 carat still seems like a pretty large stone, right?

In general, 2.2ct stone is not small, BUT - you looked at a 3.16ct diamond with your girlfriend, 2.2ct is a whole carat smaller!! Don’t do it. Please follow her desires and get the largest possible diamond within your budget! She clearly doesn’t care about color or clarity - she just wants a big rock. I would recommend that you honor her wishes since she will be the one wearing the ring.

Here is a beautiful 2.7 K VS1 - https://www.jamesallen.com/mobile/l...k-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-6696257

I’d recommend that you put it on hold ASAP and ask JA for their advantage pricing.

ETA: here is another promising one: https://www.jamesallen.com/mobile/l...k-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-6532840
Again, with advantage pricing, the asking price might come close to budget.

 

[tigertales]

From the GIA cert, looks like a pretty hefty crystal in the SI2. That may bother your fiance over time. What is the trade up policy with your jeweler? Or is it from an online vendor?

 

[tigertales]

In general, 2.2ct stone is not small, BUT - you looked at a 3.16ct diamond with your girlfriend, 2.2ct is a whole carat smaller!! Don’t do it. Please follow her desires and get the largest possible diamond within your budget! She clearly doesn’t care about color or clarity - she just wants a big rock. I would recommend that you honor her wishes since she will be the one wearing the ring.

Here is a beautiful 2.7 K VS1 - https://www.jamesallen.com/mobile/l...k-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-6696257

I’d recommend that you put it on hold ASAP and ask JA for their advantage pricing.

Gorgeous! Nice specs. I love how clean it is, and the polish is brilliant.

 

[lovedogs]

In general, 2.2ct stone is not small, BUT - you looked at a 3.16ct diamond with your girlfriend, 2.2ct is a whole carat smaller!! Don’t do it. Please follow her desires and get the largest possible diamond within your budget! She clearly doesn’t care about color or clarity - she just wants a big rock. I would recommend that you honor her wishes since she will be the one wearing the ring.

Here is a beautiful 2.7 K VS1 - https://www.jamesallen.com/mobile/l...k-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-6696257

I’d recommend that you put it on hold ASAP and ask JA for their advantage pricing.

This is a great one! Must have missed it bc I put 18k as Max

 

[lovedogs]

To be fair, maybe I was too strict in telling OP he needed an ASET/IS for the adiamor one. Granted the non complimentary angles still give me pause, but it's similar to the JA one.

 

[SimoneDi]

To be fair, maybe I was too strict in telling OP he needed an ASET/IS for the adiamor one. Granted the non complimentary angles still give me pause, but it's similar to the JA one.

The 2.81 Adiamor stone has all of my least favorite inclusions bundled in one, without a doubt, transparency will be compromised, which is actually visible in the photo. The cut is good and the aset will come back good, but I would stay away from that stone.

 

[Dreamer_D]

I suggest you make an appointment with you SO at a jeweller and compare GIA VG cuts to excellent and see if she is ok with the difference in performance. Also compare K color to L, maybe even consider old cuts which in my opinion look much better than modern rounds in more tinted colours. Then together you can make informed decisions about what compromises you are and aren’t willing to make to get the size she wants. Also consider if she wants to contribute to the budget to get where she wants to be.

 

[lovedogs]

In general, 2.2ct stone is not small, BUT - you looked at a 3.16ct diamond with your girlfriend, 2.2ct is a whole carat smaller!! Don’t do it. Please follow her desires and get the largest possible diamond within your budget! She clearly doesn’t care about color or clarity - she just wants a big rock. I would recommend that you honor her wishes since she will be the one wearing the ring.

Here is a beautiful 2.7 K VS1 - https://www.jamesallen.com/mobile/l...k-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-6696257

I’d recommend that you put it on hold ASAP and ask JA for their advantage pricing.

ETA: here is another promising one: https://www.jamesallen.com/mobile/l...k-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-6532840
Again, with advantage pricing, the asking price might come close to budget.

OP if you can find the 3ct one that is linked above from anywhere else with better pricing and then have JA match it's my favorite by far. Or potentially your GF could chip in some $ to get the size she wants.

 

[lovedogs]

The 2.81 Adiamor stone has all of my least favorite inclusions bundled in one, without a doubt, transparency will be compromised, which is actually visible in the photo. The cut is good and the aset will come back good, but I would stay away from that stone.

Oh yeah, the 2.81 is really bad with inclusions. I meant this one that OP linked above.
https://www.adiamor.com/Diamonds/2....Cut-Round-Diamond/D42670807?&refer=pricescope

 

[SimoneDi]

Oh yeah, the 2.81 is really bad with inclusions. I meant this one that OP linked above.
https://www.adiamor.com/Diamonds/2....Cut-Round-Diamond/D42670807?&refer=pricescope

Ah I see.. no, I think you were right to advice for an aset/is. The stone is not bad per se, considering the wants and the budget, but the angles are not optimal and the table inclusion is not great. If JA would get the 2.7 K VS1 in the 18K range, that would be a better choice.

 

[lovedogs]

Ah I see.. no, I think you were right to advice for an aset/is. The stone is not bad per se, considering the wants and the budget, but the angles are not optimal and the inclusion is not great. If JA would get the 2.7 K VS1 in the 18K range, that would be a better choice.

Agreed!!! Although I like the 3ct one even better, but harder to get in budget

 

[SimoneDi]

Agreed!!! Although I like the 3ct one even better, but harder to get in budget

Same! So I have been trying to find it listed elsewhere, but still no luck.

I did, however, find the 2.7 K VS2 Adiamor one on Ja: https://www.jamesallen.com/mobile/l...k-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-6520825 so they can price match that one, but I wouldn’t be my first choice.