best deal on .7 carat SI1

[PanheadWarrior]

I would like advice on which loose diamond to go for. I have a $2000 budget. I've been looking at approximately .7 carat, SI1 clarity, G, H, or I color, and as best cut as possible, preferably Ideal/Excellent. I have been looking a lot at a depth % of 58-62 and a table % of 52-60 because that's what I've read is a good range.

Are either of these good options?

.7 carat, G color , Si1, Excellent cut, 61.% depth, 59% table, for $1589
http://www.solomonbrothers.com/DiamondDetail.aspx?sku=48F48686&affiliate=9318613A-AD0C-4530-A456-0409DFEFB8DE

.71 carat, H color, Si1, Ideal cut, 60.4% depth, 58% table, for $1729
http://www.bluenile.com/round-diamond-1-carat-or-less-ideal-cut-h-color-si1-clarity_LD01675498

Would you guys recommend anything different?


How much of a difference can you tell with the naked eye between G, H, and I color and between Very Good and Ideal/Excellent cut?

 

[stone-cold11]

best deal? I would buy one from a vendor with an upgrade policy.

 

[PanheadWarrior]

i'm not ever going to upgrade to a bigger stone... that's the carat size i like... i just want to make sure the color, cut, and clarity are good enough so that she's happy with it.

 

[stone-cold11]

you think she is never going to upgrade it, bigger stone, better color? Ever?

EDT:
That said,
The SB stone has a better cut proportion than the BN stone for more balance optics, from the numbers.

The SB stone however has Strong blue Fluor, some may prefer it some not. Also a small number might be what is term over-blue that makes the stone oily/hazy looking in the sun.

Regarding the clarity, make sure it is eye-clean to your standard.

 

[karpouzi]

PanheadWarrior, please don''t feel that you have to upgrade at some point, despite what people here may say.

If you haven''t already, use the Holloway Cut Advisor under the "Tools" menu here to sort through stones. For example, the BlueNile stone you posted scores a 0.9, which makes it worth further investigation. From what I understand, though, BlueNile cannot provide images, so you''re taking a chance that the diamond will not perform well.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 4/5/2010 5:04:20 PM
Author: Stone-cold11
best deal? I would buy one from a vendor with an upgrade policy.

I also like the buyback policies because it offers safety in the event of financial hardship.

I prefer James Allen for deals because they are able to provide images of the diamonds you consider: www.jamesallen.com

I think you will not be able to tell the difference bewteen an G and an H, but an I may show more tint in some lighting environments. But in that size range body color does not show as much anyways, so you are probably safe going with I color unless you or the gf has a preference for truly colorless stones.