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amd1979

Rough_Rock
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Nov 17, 2007
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I''m in a bit of a conundrum. I would like to buy an engagement ring that is of good quality. I''m a teacher, so I can''t afford too much, but I was thinking within the $1000-$2000 range. My girlfriend has rather simple taste, so I was thinking a solataire - either round, princess, or oval - in white gold. Can anyone recommend any retailer or online retailer that offers quality rings - I know you get what you pay for, but I was hoping to get ~.5 carat. I was originally looking at worldjewlers.com, but I noticed in previous posts that people didn''t recommend them because of poor quality. Here''s the link for the ring I was interested in:

http://www.worldjewels.com/_e/Solitaire_Rings/product/v-30/14k_Gold_Round_Diamond_Solitaire_Ring_50_Carat.htm


Is it possible to get a quality ring at the amount I''m looking to spend? I looked at some stores in my local mall, but they were selling rings with visible inclusions for what seemed like extraordinary prices.

Thanks so much for any help/advice you can offer.
 
Welcome Amd! You can use this tool to search https://www.pricescope.com/sift.aspx when you are searching use excellent excellent for cut and that will help you find a quality stone. If you post what type of stone you would like such as round we can help you look and also list the color and clarity. Just an FYI many SI1''s can be eye clean so you that can be a good deal but you need to verify that with the vendor and that will help lower the price.
 
Hi amd! Welcome to Pricescope.

You can definitely get a nice .50ct stone in a setting for your budget. Remember, the cut of the stone is the most important of the "4 Cs". If a stone has a lousy cut, it'll just be a piece of dull carbon. The cut is what makes it sparkle.

Here's an example of a beautiful ring in your budget:

.51 ct G, VS2 H&A, 1 on the HCA $1340

It's an AGS 0, which means it has an excellent (ideal) cut. It'll sparkle like crazy!

Here's a nice tapered basket setting (which I personally prefer to the regular prongs, but they have many other choices at the website) for $290 in white gold:

WG Basket Solitaire

All together, you'll be just under $1650.

I hope this helps somewhat!
 
I guess I must admit by naivete on this subject
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. I''ve read some "articles" concerning cut and clarity. Is G-H decent? And in regards to clarity, I was thinking VS or slight? But this may be wishful thinking on my part. I guess I''d just like to get her a nice engagement ring, not too big (because even she wouldn''t like that..) but certainly not one that is a speck in a ring...to be honest...I''m not even sure how big ~.5 carat is? Sorry to be such a dunce, but I certainly do need to be educated. Any help in searching would be ideal...

Thank you!!
 
Date: 11/17/2007 7:57:58 PM
Author: amd1979
I guess I must admit by naivete on this subject
7.gif
. I've read some 'articles' concerning cut and clarity. Is G-H decent? And in regards to clarity, I was thinking VS or slight? But this may be wishful thinking on my part. I guess I'd just like to get her a nice engagement ring, not too big (because even she wouldn't like that..) but certainly not one that is a speck in a ring...to be honest...I'm not even sure how big ~.5 carat is? Sorry to be such a dunce, but I certainly do need to be educated. Any help in searching would be ideal...

Thank you!!
Click to expand...
G and H is good and you can do VS2 and see nothing or at least I see no inclusions, but it all is personal preference. Well give us a budget and if you want to go bigger than .5 we can help find the best bang for your buck.

This tutorial should help you start to think about what you would like in an ering http://diamonds.pricescope.com/
 
.5 ct is a great size! It definitely won''t be a speck. For an example of what one looks like on a finger, here''s a link to a member''s gorgeous .5ct ring (scroll down for finger pictures):

Maisie''s .5ct ring (Hope this is okay, Maisie!)
 
No .5 is certainly not a speck! Thanks for sharing the pic and thanks to the original person for allowing you to!.

In terms of budget, we really need to watch our spending, like I said, I''m a teacher, so I don''t make too much. And we have a baby on the way. But I thought I could make 1000-2000 work - 2000 would be pushing it though.

Here''s another question. What is a better cut - princess or round? I think she would like either - but I like the look of the princess...

I very much appreciate all the help I''ve recieved so far - thanks to the both of you. You''re lifesavers...:)
 
I should add a few things:

In terms of what she'd like, if you don't know (and don't want to ask her), I'd go round. We had a poll of favorite shapes here recently, and round was generally liked far more than princess or oval. Not to say that princess and oval diamonds aren't beautiful (they are!), but in terms of what to be safe with, IMO, you rarely go wrong with a beautifully cut round.

Also, the website you first provided a link for mentions nothing about the cut of the diamonds. And since the prices are so low, even with a platinum setting, I'm betting they aren't well cut at all. You want numbers, you want a cert (AGS or GIA, ideally) that'll let you know what kind of a cut you're getting. Most of the vendors here provide a lot of information and pictures of the diamond you'll be buying, so you aren't gambling away your hard-earned money.

ETA: I posted before I saw your response, but I addressed one of your questions! I must be reading your mind.
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I would go with a round. If you want some help, use the search tool posted in an earlier post, and then link us the stones. You''ll get input into what the best ones are. I think G-H and VS2 to SI1 is a good place to start!
 
I would go a round over a princess they are timeless and look bigger for carat weight :)

*pulls out trusty piece of paper*
A .50 Princess will measure approx 4.35 millimeters
A .50 Round will measure 5.2 millimeters approx

:)

Here is a possibility from James Allen H&A F VS2 .51 ct :) AGS0
Scores 1.1 on the HCA

F VS2 H&A $1440 (including pricescope discount and shipping :)
 
The first F looks very nice! but, you need to find out if it''s eyeclean. And by that, you need to determine what that means to you. Do you just not want to see anything face up? or do you not want to see anything from any angle at any distance. Be sure you and the vendor are on the same page.
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The second F is also very nice, and a bit bigger. In stones under 1 ct., small differences are much more noticable. So out of those two, I''d pick the second. Of course, check on eyecleanliness again.


The first H isn''t doing anything for me. I''m not much of a fan on that crown and pavillion angle, but that''s just me. It also has only Good for Symmetry, try to stick with at least Very Good.
The second H looks very nice! and eyeclean shouldn''t even be an issue, but it never hurts to ask. This one would be my pick of the two H''s.


If it came down to those two, I would go with the F (assuming eyeclean). It''s a higher color, for less money, and the same size as the H.
emthup.gif
 
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