Back in the game! Finally get to continue searching for a ring!!!

[puravida]

Yay! I''m excited that my BF and I have agreed to continue searching for an engagement ring. We had to put our search on hold about a year ago because we decided to buy a new home instead. Now that we are moved in and (relatively) settled, we can concentrate on shopping for a stone and ring again.

Unfortunately, over the past year-ish I had to give up lurking and posting on Pricescope to avoid disappointing myself that I''d find the perfect stone/setting but would not be ready to buy. So because of this, I''ve almost forgotten everything I''ve learned about what specs to look for in terms of crown angle, pavillion depth, table, flourescence, etc.....

I got this far in narrowing down our search:

-would like a round brilliant diamond
-1 carat is my preferred magic number
-hoping to find something that''s an eye-clean SI1, and G-H in colour

-really love Whiteflash''s ACA round brilliant and also their H & A stones. WF was probably the front runner in terms of who we''d buy from, although GOG was also looking good.

-as far as I remember, I didn''t have any luck finding a local jeweller (we are from outside Toronto) who would make a custom setting (I really loved the Michael B Princess setting!) There is a local jeweller who sells Michael B but its pricey.
-if I remember correctly, there was a Pricescoper, Lynn B, who had her setting made by WF and then WF ended up included a similar setting in their collection (Can''t remember what WF calls it).

Both of the above settings I mentioned were pave bands. But I think that now I''d prefer a simple solitaire. Funny how things change, eh?

Can anyone offer advice on how to get back on that stone searching horse? I feel like I have to start at the begining again wrt all the proper specs for a RB and that''s very frustrating. Can anyone give me a ball park figure as to what we should expect to pay for a stone, with the specs given above? What''s the best way to start finding a good stone? Maybe just call up WF and let them know to keep an eye out for something that fits our bill?

This feels so exciting yet frustrating at the same time!

 

[Bella_mezzo]

Congrats puravida!

You can search WF, GOG, and Brian Gavin diamonds online to see what prices are. Then you can contact them to see what else they might be getting (I think a lot of them are getting new shipments of stones soon...)

 

[puravida]

I guess I should also mention that my BF isn''t really keen on the idea of buying online. There is one online vendor near us, USA Certed Diamonds, so many we should go in and see how their pricing compares to WF? At least we will get to see the stones in person. So far no one around here seems to sell AGS certified diamonds. Many B&Ms use less reputable labs and even the better jewllery stores seem to mostly use Gemscan. So I''ve never actually seen an AGS 0 stone in person, although funnily enough I''ve seemed to have convinced myself that that is what I need to look for, in addition to the other specs I mention. Can anyone point me in the right direction of a "cheat sheet" that neatly organizes all the ideal proportions of a RB i.e. crown/pavillion angle, table, etc.?

And I have this idea of an H&A stone etched in my memory. I think I became so set on finding one but now I can''t remember why I excluded all non H&A stones. Is it just personal preferance maybe to like H&A stones better, while non H&A stones still have the potential to be gorgeous?

 

[Bella_mezzo]

tyty33 posted this in a previous thread:

Here are the cheat sheet numbers to go by...

depth 60-62%
table 54-57%
crown angle 34-35 degrees
pavilion angle 40.6 - 41 degrees

Polish & symmetry - very good and above

gridles - no wide range like very thin to very thick.

if pav angle 40.6 lean towards 34.5-35 crown
if pav angle 41 lean towards 34-34.5 crown

To mazimize size (minimize cost) folks usually go with an eye-clean SI1 or SI2.
Otherwise if you want mind-clean go with VS1/2 or up (but you pay).
Eye clean info
http://journal.pricescope.com/Articles/78/1/What-is-an-Eye-Clean-Diamond--.aspx

For color, a well cut G/H shows up pretty white. If you are color sensitive you
should go higher (E,F). If not so sensitive, go lower (I,J,K). The look of an I,J,K
stone will be just every so slightly tinted. Some people prefer these colors over
the bright D,E,Fs. They are all beautiful....just depends where you stand. Like
I said, G/H is playing it safe in a well cut stone.

You can also use the HCA tool to help eliminate stones. Any stone that scores 2.0 or
lower is worth further review. Over 2, we would say not worth considereing.

https://www.pricescope.com/cutadviser.asp

When you have narrowed it down to a few stones, post the info on the stones and I''m
sure some of our highly knowledgeable PSers will help you out.

Hope this helps.


~~~Thanks to PS, my wants far exceed my budget!~~~

 

[MissGotRocks]

Per your order: WF ACA, G color, SI1 clarity - http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/Whiteflash-ACA-cut-diamond-2145418.htm#

 

[Dreamer_D]

I think USA certed isa drop shipper, they might not have diamonds in house?

I think you need to work on the BF to convince him that he will not get the same quality diamond with the same policies (10-30 day refund, ungrade, lifetime buyback) with a jewler in Canada. I am Can too and bought from the US.

I like WF, GOG, and Brian Gavin diamonds for all my diamond needs

 

[stone-cold11]

I believe USACerted will call in stones for a look themselves before setting it and sending it to you.

 

[puravida]

Thanks for the cheat sheet and the starting info.

Luckily I had already done my research enough to know that I wanted to try looking for an eyeclean SI1 in a G or H. THe wierd part is that I convinced myself of this without actually having seen any stones. I came to this conclusion from the research I did here and from seeing the beautiful stones that people got with those specs. The colour, clarity, and carat was an easy decision to make. But I couldn''t wrap my head around the cut part. What I mean is that I know an AGS 0 stone or a WF ACA would be good cuts but when it comes to the details about how changes in pavillion angles affect crown angles, for example, it never really made sense to me.

I guess I just have to find stones on WF''s website and then post the specs here for expert opinion.

Would it be wrong JUST to go on the opinion of others, and not even see the stone at all? I guess I should go see some G/H/I stones in person to make sure I like those colours before deciding that they make the short list. But if I show up at B & M store and ask to see their stones without seeming serious about wanting to purchase there, are they really gonna be interested in showing me variations in colour?

I guess maybe Spence would be a good place to do some colour research?

MissGotRocks: Thanks for pointing out a stone...glad to know what I''m looking for is still in the budget!

 

[IceExplorer]

Purvida:

I spoke with USA Certed - They would not have diamonds shipped in for me to view them. They will however have them shipped to someone in the GTA for me to stop by and look at them. They are a drop shipper with fantastic pricing!

I made conclusions about what I wanted (before seeing them) much like you did. I would highly suggest you visit MANY MANY B&M''s to train your eye as well as you can train your brain from pricescope.com. There is definite value in finding the balance between what you''ve learned vs how it''s interpreted visually.

I''m from Ontario as well. If you happen to be close to the either NY State or Michigan there are some advantages to buying in the USA and having them shipped to a different state. There are no taxes charged. When you have them shipped in Canada you have to pay 13% GST/PST during the import period (through FedEx/UPS) and their brokerage fee.
If you ship them to a friends house in the USA you don''t have to pay the brokerage fee but you''ll have to pay the taxes WHEN you declare them coming back into Canada. As Canadians we know the value and great work the government does with our tax dollars so we make sure to ALWAYS pay our taxes. I''m sure you''ll agree the taxes are better spent on the government than adding that 13% to the value of your diamond!

Make sure you dedicate some time to reviewing some diamonds in person. It''s a tremendous value when shopping online.

 

[puravida]

IceExplorer: Thanks for the reply. Its always good to get some advice from someone else from Ontario. Did you end up buying from USA Certed?

I guess I don''t know what a drop shipper is? Can anyone explain?

Don''t USE Certed have an actual location? To whom exactly do they ship the stones for a client''s viewing? Not sure what you meant by this....

Can you recommend B & Ms in the GTA that have an inventory of quality stones that are willing to sit down and show us?

Unfortunately we don''t have friends int he USA. We have distant relatives, but none with whom it would be appropriate to ship a stone to. BF and I don''t want to advertise the fact that we are buying a stone to the entire family and if we shipped it to family this would happen. Are there other shipping options for sending it to a US address and picking it up? The tax on the stone definately kills the good deals on WF. Or I''d have to settle for a smaller stone to compensate for the loss on the taxes

 

[IceExplorer]

Date: 1/5/2010 7:09:54 PM
Author: puravida
IceExplorer: Thanks for the reply. Its always good to get some advice from someone else from Ontario. Did you end up buying from USA Certed?


I guess I don''t know what a drop shipper is? Can anyone explain?


Don''t USE Certed have an actual location? To whom exactly do they ship the stones for a client''s viewing? Not sure what you meant by this....


Can you recommend B & Ms in the GTA that have an inventory of quality stones that are willing to sit down and show us?


Unfortunately we don''t have friends int he USA. We have distant relatives, but none with whom it would be appropriate to ship a stone to. BF and I don''t want to advertise the fact that we are buying a stone to the entire family and if we shipped it to family this would happen. Are there other shipping options for sending it to a US address and picking it up? The tax on the stone definately kills the good deals on WF. Or I''d have to settle for a smaller stone to compensate for the loss on the taxes

Drop shipper- Someone who orders your diamond from a source and has it shipped to you without ever seeing it in person.

USA Certed have an office they work out of but they don''t inventory any diamonds there. They ship the diamonds to your for viewing - if you like it you keep it. If not, you ship it back.

You can go to any B&M to look at stones. I''m sure you''ll find (much like I did) they don''t carry AGS000 or Ideal cut stones for the most part. You''ll also notice diamonds of much lessor quality for up to double the price.
Don''t go there to look at their prices though. Just tell them you are starting your search and you''re looking to get educated. When they start pressuring you to buy tell them you are looking to buy in the summer but you''d like to find someone to help them through the process. They''ll be willing to help. Check out the mall and the local stores. Just google for local jewellers and start checking them out. Give them your parameters and ask if they something close to that. When your BF sees the pricing he''ll change his mind about buying online. I''ve looked at about 30 stones so far and I''m just starting to feel a level of comfort with differentiating the details I learned here and how they apply when looking at diamonds in person.

As far as other options for shipment (as oppose to a family member)?
I know some smaller towns in Michigan allow Canadians to open PO Boxes for internet and/or ebay purchases. Look for a UPS store or call a smaller towns to see if they will let you use their US Post Office General Delivery option. The nice thing about both of those is they will sign for the parcel and call you when it shows up. You can then drive over to take a look without having to pay duty and/or tax until you find the one you like. If not consider calling a hotel and booking a room then ask them if you can have a parcel shipped there (they will accept it - I''ve done it before) Then drive over with BF for a weekend and spend some time looking at the diamond. When you find the one you like I''m sure you''ll do the right thing and pay the taxes when you cross the border

I hope this helps - good luck with your search!