Advice on first time purchase

[Panamadiamond]

Hi,
I have been lurking this site for a while and educating myself on how to purchase a diamond. My fiance wanted to present me with an engagement ring, however, the controller in me told him no and that I wanted to pick my own ring. Well here we are a month before the wedding and I don''t have a ring. We are now facing some financial problems and only have $2,500 for the engagement ring and the wedding band. I NEED HELP.

Please advice. I came accross several diamonds on the internet. I''m considering buying from the internet because they are all certified and cheaper that what I have seen localy thus far. My dilemma is that should I buy the loose diamond and have it appraised to make sure that I''m getting what they said. If I do this then I will have to find a jewelry store to get the diamond set (hassle). If I have faith as to what they are selling, should I just have the internet store set the diamond that way I don''t have to worry about running around town looking for someone to do this. Also, how can i be sure that there isn''t a visible bow tie if I cannot see the diamond before purchasing I purchase it.

Please advice on the following diamonds - Marquise

Dianong Number 1
Price: $1,214 Bankwire price $1,195.79
Certificate GIA
Cutting Style Brilliant
Measurement 7.81x4.40x2.96 mm
Weight 0.58 carat
Proportions:
Depth 67.5%
Table 56%
Girdle thin to slightly thick, faceted
Culet None
Finish:
Polish Good
Symmetry Very Good
Clarity Grade SI2
Characteristic Feather
Color Grade E
Flourescence None
length/width to ratio 1.78


Dianong Number 2
Price $1,355 Bankwire Price $1,334.68
Certificate GIA
Cutting Style Brilliant
Measurement 9.48x4.43x2.50 mm
Weight 0.61
Proportions:
Depth 56.4%
Table 62%
Girdle Thin to very thick, faceted
Culet None
Finish:
Polish Very Good
Symmetry Good
Clarity Grade SI2
Characteristic
Color Grade D
Flourescence Medium
length/width to ratio 2.14

Dianong Number 3
Price $1,278
Certificate IGI
Cutting Style Brilliant
Cutting Style Good
Measurement 8.22x4.06x3.21
Weight 0.61
Proportions:
Depth 79.1%
Table 49%
Girdle Very thick to thick, faceted
Culet None
Finish:
Polish Good
Symmetry Good
Clarity Grade SI2
Characteristic
Color Grade E
Flourescence Moderate Blue
length/width to ratio

Dianong Number 4
Price $1,623.
Certificate GIA
Cutting Style Premium Cut
Measurement 7.86x4.78x3.22
Weight 0.70
Proportions:
Depth 67.4
Table 55
Girdle Very thick to extra thick
Culet None
Finish:
Polish Good
Symmetry Good
Clarity Grade SI2
Characteristic
Color Grade E
Flourescence Moderate Blue
length/width to ratio

Thank you very much in advance. Your opinions will really help

Panamadiamond

 

[jaz464]

Welcome to PS

I have a marquise e-ring and always love to find fellow marquise lovers so it is great to meet you

Goodness, we need to get moving here a little don't we?

My advice to you would be to stick with diamonds that have GIA grading reports. They are usually quite accurate and you will not need to spend time and part of your budget in getting it appraised, unless you really feel that you want to. Stay far away from IGI. Next, do you really feel that you need a diamond with such a high color grading? With a limited budget, I would definitely go down in color. If you look for something in the G-H range (or maybe even lower, though I don't like marquises too low in color because they show it in their points) you can get a bigger diamond. I do agree with your looking in the SI range for clarity but you have to make sure that these diamonds are eye clean. Some SI2s are and some are not. I will do a search and see what I can find to recommend for you. Keep in mind that marquises are hard to judge by numbers alone. Great numbers do not guarantee a great looking marquise. You need to look out for bow ties, which are a dark area that crosses the marquise the short way. If you stick with online vendors like Whiteflash and Good Old Gold, they will truthfully tell you if a marquise diamond that they have for sale has a bow tie or not and whether it is eye clean or not.

 

[jaz464]

Things appear to be very limited right now in size and price range. I recommend giving the 2 vendors I mentioned above a calll and telling them your budget and what you are looking for. They can start searching for something that will be just right for you.

http://www.whiteflash.com/

http://www.goodoldgold.com/

 

[Panamadiamond]

Jazmine,
Thank you so much for your reply. I kept praying for someone to answer because I saw that a lot of people where looking but not giving an answer.

I really wanted to stick with an H in color, however, the sites that I looked at did not have any H in stock. I will definitely try the two sites that you suggested.

On the bow tie, this was one of my main concerns since I won''t be able to see the diamond before purchasing.

Thank, Thank you very much for your help. I will let you know how things go.

Panamadiamond

 

[Panamadiamond]

Jazmine,
What is the lowest color I could go to without the color showing on the tip of the marquise. What other areas can I compromise in order to get something nice within my budget.

Thank you,
Panamadiamond

 

[jaz464]

Color is such an individual thing. If you can, get yourself to a local mall and check out some marquises in person. Your eyes will tell you what it too yellow to you. Personally, I would not go below an I. Many people around here have some gorgous rounds in a J color and even lower and they face up very white. Marquises do not have that advantage. If you can find a diamond with flourescence, it can often help to make a lower colored diamond look whiter and it often lowers the price as well. If you found a J with some blue flour. I would not immediatly rule it out.

Depending on how sensitive you are to inclusions, you could look for an SI2 or maybe even a really great I1. But I wouldn't do that without having a trusted vendor discuss with you the nature of the inclusions.

Also, I don't know if you prefer a fatter or skinnier marquise but those that are not in the range considered ideal (1.75-2.25) are often a little cheaper and can still be very beatiful, if you like a marquise on one end of the scale.

 

[jaz464]

I wanted to add one more thing. I usually do not recommend this but I think it may be a good option for you if you stick with one of the favored and trustworthy vendors. You may want to consider EGL graded diamonds. There seem to be quite a few available in your range right now. I would try to make sure that they are EGL USA and not another EGL lab however. EGL diamonds are usually cheaper, often times by quite a bit. However, EGL is often considered a little lax with their grading so if the diamond is graded and G in color it may be 1 or 2 grades lower. Still, these diamonds can often represent a bargain though if you can find one that is accuarately graded. With EGL diamonds, it is usually recommended around here that you have the diamond appraised during your return period to make sure that the diamond is accuratly graded and that you are not overpaying for it.

 

[jaz464]

Here are a few that you could consider. They are not in-house so WF would have to get them in for you.

All of the L/W on these are very close to 2.0 (perfect IMO

)

The depth and table % look great as well and the girdles are just where you want them. However, there is no way to tell if they are eye clean. WF would have to let you know.

http://www.whiteflash.com/marquise/Marquise-cut-diamond-2397912.htm

http://www.whiteflash.com/marquise/Marquise-cut-diamond-1778415.htm

http://www.whiteflash.com/marquise/Marquise-cut-diamond-2380571.htm