Assistance: 1ct H&A with Tiffany Channel Set Replica

[EyeDiamond]

Hello,

First of all, thank you everyone for making this forum such an informative and objective place to learn about diamonds. I have to admit, while reading through all of the posts and resources here I feel my knowledge regarding diamond selection has increased (not too hard considering, I knew nothing about diamonds before I came here) but the more I think about choosing the diamond, the more nervous I get regarding the whole process!

Don''t get me wrong, the proposal and marriage process is a no brainer (at least for now). I love my gf and she deserves the perfect rock. It''s the rock/ring selection process that is turning me into a nervous wreck.

The good news is that we both have similar tastes in settings. We love the look of the Tiffany Round Brilliant With Channel-set Band:
http://www.tiffany.com/Engagement/Item.aspx?GroupSKU=GRP10016#f+2/0/0/0/0/0
and as everyone has mentioned time and time again, a better stone for a better price could be had by avoiding Tiffany. This has led me to the Excel Diamond replica:
http://www.exceldiamonds.com/-Engagement-Rings-5/Diamond-Accent-Engagement-Rings-12/Tiffany-Channel-Diamond-Engagement-Ring--963.html

Now the hard part - selecting the stone. I would prefer the following attributes:
Carat: ~1ct (+/- 0.05)
Color: G-H
Clarity: VS1-VS2, leaning more towards VS1 or a VS2 with no inclusions on the top side
Cut: Ideal (H&A)
Cost: 5-7k
Shape: round
In-house

It might also be worth mentioning that this will be a cross boarder transition as I''m from Canada. I plan to have the diamond sent to store selling the setting before having it shipped to me.

I''d like to get feedback on the current stones within this range as found by pricescope''s search tool.


Also, if anyone has any photos of the Tiffany channel-set band vs replica, I''d be interested in seeing them. In particular, the difference in band thickness.


Thanks for reading this far! Looking forward to your comments and suggestions.

 

[MissGotRocks]

Hello and welcome! Many people here would be happy to help you. The searchbar at the top of this page comes up with several stones in the .9 - 1.05, G, VS1 or VS2 range. Is there one or more in particular that you are thinking about?

 

[Dreamer_D]

If that is the setting you want, then I suggest that you order your diamond from Excel. They will insure your diamond during the setting process and it is much simpler to do this expecially if you are cross border shopping (I am Canadian too btw). I would call excel, tell them what you want, and ask them to suggest some diamonds. Then come show us what you are considering and we will help you assess all the stats and pick a winner!

 

[EyeDiamond]

Hello MissGotRocks and dreamer_d - thank you for your suggestions.

I''m still open to the idea of purchasing a diamond from Excel. I find it difficult to compare apples vs apples when Excel''s website does not have direct links to photos of the stone. I realize photos and report can be obtained by contacting Excel directly, I just didn''t want to ask until I had some other stones to compare them against.


In terms of some of the diamonds I''m interested in here are some links from WF:
Carat Color Clarity Depth Tbl Lab Gdl Cul Sym Pol Flr Measurements $/Crt Price
1.04 H VS2 61.7% 56% AGS thn-med f id id no 6.49-6.50x4.01 $5885 $6120*S
http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/whiteflash-aca-cut-diamond-2231178.htm#

1.012 H VS1 61.7% 56% AGS thn-med f id id no 6.43-6.45x3.97 $6367 $6443*S
http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/whiteflash-aca-cut-diamond-2231169.htm#

1.013 H VS1 61.6% 56% AGS thn-med f id id no 6.42-6.45x3.97 $6367 $6450*S
http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/whiteflash-aca-cut-diamond-2231171.htm#


I''m also interested in these from JA - I''ve requested to see the original PDF copy of the report since the scanned images don''t show the inclusions well. I''m not sure if the neg flr will be an issue so I''m keeping an open mind ...
Carat Color Clarity Depth Tbl Lab Gdl Cul Sym Pol Flr Measurements $/Crt Price
1.02 H VS1 62.2% 55% AGS thn-sl thk no id id neg 6.43*6.48*4.02 $6314 $6440*S
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1225041.asp?b=16&a=12&c=77&cid=131

1.03 H VS1 62.1% 55.2% AGS thn-med no id id neg 6.45*6.49*4.02 $6311 $6500*S
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1195067.asp?b=16&a=12&c=77&cid=131


And of course the ones from Excel:
Carat Color Clarity Depth Tbl Lab Gdl Cul Sym Pol Flr Measurements $/Crt Price
1 H VS1 60.8% 55% GIA thn-med no ex ex no 6.49*6.53*3.96 $6050
http://www.exceldiamonds.com/Loose_Round_Diamond-143/Loose_Round_1_Carat_H_Color_VS1_Clarity_diamond-429567.html

1.06 H VS1 61.6% 57% GIA med-sl thk no ex ex no 6.52*6.56*4.03 $6648
http://www.exceldiamonds.com/Loose_Round_Diamond-143/Loose_Round_1.06_Carat_H_Color_VS1_Clarity_diamond-431380.html


Looking forward to your thoughts!

 

[EyeDiamond]

OK, I think I have narrowed my search down to 3 stones!

#1
Carat Color Clarity Depth Tbl Lab Gdl Cul Sym Pol Flr Measurements $/Crt Price
1.04 H VS2 61.7% 56% AGS thn-med f id id no 6.49-6.50x4.01 $5885 $6120*S
http://agslab.com/reportTypes/pldqr.php?StoneID=1040389740048&Weight=1.04&D=1

#2
1.012 H VS1 61.7% 56% AGS thn-med f id id no 6.43-6.45x3.97 $6367 $6443*S
http://agslab.com/reportTypes/pldqr.php?StoneID=1040389740039&Weight=1.012&D=1

#3
0.97 H VS1 62.4% 55.2% AGS thn-sl thk no id id neg 6.31*6.32*3.94 $5680 $5510*S
http://agslab.com/reportTypes/pldqr.php?StoneID=01040391890012&Weight=0.975&D=1


The current problem I'm faced with is there is a >$1000 spread between the diamonds. Is the difference between #2 and #3 worth $1000? #3 is 0.04ct smaller but has small feathers near the girdle that appear to reach the surface (in the process of confirming this) - should I be concerned about this?

Perhaps the safer route would be #1?

Any suggestions?

 

[yssie]

any inclusions in a 1ct VS1 are absolutely nothing to be concerned over, regardless of size or placement.



#2 has conventional proportions, #3 is what is called an FIC on this board - it will tend toward fire in more lighting, at the expense of a little brilliance and a little spread. Your call.

 

[EyeDiamond]

Thanks for having a look yssie! I will try to do some more research on "FIC" to try to understand the differences.

 

[Dreamer_D]

I think I would save the thousand dollars!

 

[llAPll]

Any updates??

I''m curious, did you declare the ring when you took it back across the border? That can be a big issue since it''ll add almost $1k to the price if you declare it. If you didn''t.... well, PM me on how you did it =P

 

[EyeDiamond]

I haven''t finalized the details yet but yes I plan to pay the taxes (GST) when it comes back over the border - its the only way in my mind. I''m not sure if PST would normally apply but AB doesn''t have PST. Overall, I still believe the cross border purchase is saving me quite a bit.