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Best Diamond for 1,000ish dollars. Please Help.

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ATM

ATM

Rough_Rock
Joined
Feb 20, 2009
Messages
53
Hello all,
Well i have learned
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a lot over the last few weeks and its time to buy a ""small"" diamond. Im looking for
G or H or I in color ** added I, color **
VS1 or VS2 in clarity
Round

Best cut available as i think its the most important part of the diamond.. i want that sucker to sparkle.
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Size.. between .45 to .51

my short story is my wife to be and me were in a store, she saw a HOF diamond in .38 and loved it. I don't love the price for that size (it was $1990
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) So i need the closest Diamond i can find within a thousand dollar budget. She was in love with the sparkle of the HOF diamond.. from every angle it was on fire.. I really like the the Hearts and Arrows but im open to ANY and all suggestions.

I will buy from an online vendor wednesday and i will most likely pick the best diamond suggested here in this very thread.
In your own opinion who would you buy from
James Allen ?
WF ?
Blue Nile ?
Buying something like this sight unseen is pretty hard to do. ..

In closing let me say that im Very POOR hahahaa.. I really can afford only 1000.00 as im helping MANY family members lately pay bills. I can not save up any more money for a nicer diamond as more and more people ask for help. Family is family. Even though im engaged to my GF it just does not seem real yet as i did not give her a diamond. She says its not a big deal but its really driving me crazy.

Thank you all in advance.

ATM
 
I ran a search at WF and didn't find anything (no ACAs anyway) in your criteria that was also in your budget. Their ACAs are VERY comparable to HOF diamonds, but with a smaller price tag. Would you consider lowering the color and clarity at all to meet your size and budget needs? An ACA is so well cut that it masks color, especially in a smaller size. I have a feeling it would be pretty hard to spot the color in an I or J in that size and cut. Also, you can find eye clean SI stones, you just have to go with a trusted vendor and have a good return policy (just in case).

I only searched at WF because they are the only people I've dealt with personally, but GOG and James Allen are also great places to search. There are others as well. Good luck!
 
Your right as a matter of fact the HOF was an I stone. so yes we can do that ..
 
Yes, nothing from our favored vendors spot on.

Another from WF a tad smaller, and there's a couple from JA that are Gs...a tad smaller. Use the search by cut database to see these.

Sorry, was interrupted, and on late...Storm may have the closest, only briefly scanning above..
 
Date: 3/16/2009 10:57:37 AM
Author: ATM
Karl, Ellen, kelli, Deelight thank you so much for all of your ideas.. this was the best i could come up with on my own. =0)

http://www.bluenile.com/round-diamond-1-carat-or-less-ideal-cut-i-color-vs2-clarity_LD01091770?__fun_frm=i&filter_id=0


I like some of yours better though.
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I went the BN route for smaller diamonds to get a better size and save $$$. Here''s link a Signature Ideal stone that comes in a few dollars above budget, but is 0.51 ct, I SI1.
 
Hi ATM,

If you are going the bluenile route, I would definitely suggest looking at Exceldiamonds.com and calling to speak to Judah. The reason is because Excel can do a work up of the stones you''re interested in for you (pictures, idealscope, etc) before you buy. Excel will also look at the stone for you and tell you their honest opinion. Their prices are also very competitive to bluenile, if not, better. With bluenile, you only get to see the measurements, and if you don''t like it, you can return it, but that''s shipping fees and time wasted.

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Oops, I forgot to add that Excel also has a trade-up policy, which bluenile doesn''t. This was a blig factor when I decided to purchase from them.
 
joe that is very nice. I never thought i could get a quality .52 stone for around a grand. I wish i could find a .48 VS1. that would be sweet
 
ATM, is there something special about VS1 clarity? If you cannot spot any inclusions with the unaided eye, why pay more? This is especially true of a .5 carat stone. I would not comprimise carat size for clarity when it will have no impact on the performance or beauty of the diamond. I have two SI2 stones in my 3-stone ring and am so happy I went with them, they are completely eye-clean and I didn''t pay extra for VS clarity.

Just my 2 cents and many others on this forum feel the same.
 
Date: 3/16/2009 2:13:50 PM
Author: JoeNewbie11
ATM, is there something special about VS1 clarity? If you cannot spot any inclusions with the unaided eye, why pay more? This is especially true of a .5 carat stone. I would not comprimise carat size for clarity when it will have no impact on the performance or beauty of the diamond. I have two SI2 stones in my 3-stone ring and am so happy I went with them, they are completely eye-clean and I didn''t pay extra for VS clarity.

Just my 2 cents and many others on this forum feel the same.
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Ditto JoeNewbie11!

When working with a tight budget there is no reason NOT to look at the SI1/2. Just make sure
they are eye-clean to your satisfaction! You''ll get more for your money and you wont be able to see
any difference between them and the more expensive VS stones.
 
Date: 3/16/2009 2:29:49 PM
Author: tyty333

Date: 3/16/2009 2:13:50 PM
Author: JoeNewbie11
ATM, is there something special about VS1 clarity? If you cannot spot any inclusions with the unaided eye, why pay more? This is especially true of a .5 carat stone. I would not comprimise carat size for clarity when it will have no impact on the performance or beauty of the diamond. I have two SI2 stones in my 3-stone ring and am so happy I went with them, they are completely eye-clean and I didn''t pay extra for VS clarity.

Just my 2 cents and many others on this forum feel the same.
Click to expand...
Ditto JoeNewbie11!

When working with a tight budget there is no reason NOT to look at the SI1/2. Just make sure
they are eye-clean to your satisfaction! You''ll get more for your money and you wont be able to see
any difference between them and the more expensive VS stones.
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WORD! Totally agree. That siad, I went with VS2 for mine because I bought it before I discovered pricescope and didn''t know how trustworthy these vendors are. I like the "mind-cleanliness" of my VS2, but in the future I won''t pay for VS. I''ve seen too many spotless looking SI2s to ever pay the VS prices again!
 

WOW im glad you brought up that point. that does make me feel better about getting a SI2. So far joes in the lead with that really nice diamond he posted .52 If i can''t find anything in the next day or two i will be getting this wednesday.



regards,


ATM

 
If you are considering a stone put it on hold. There are lurkers that will snap up a stone once it gets the PS approval.

I like the one Storm picked; bigger, $50 cheaper.
 
Done and Done.. thanks for the heads up.. im so glad this is almost over.. buying diamonds is like buying a new car.. fun to think about doing.. the actual doing sucks.. and when you have it your happy =0)
 
K here it is.. i Found 2 nice diamonds on the JA site. I really like the James Allen site/ pictures. the guy helping me through e-mails (josh) seems like a nice guy and has been very helpful. so its either

This .50
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1201112.asp?b=16&a=12&c=77&cid=131

Or.

This .53
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1193829.asp?b=16&a=12&c=77&cid=131

in my limited knowledge i can see no real big deal between the 2. on is a tiny bit bigger though.

Both of these are within my budget too..
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Slightly prefer the numbers and IS of 0.53c stone.
 
Date: 3/23/2009 2:26:22 PM
Author: ATM
K here it is.. i Found 2 nice diamonds on the JA site. I really like the James Allen site/ pictures. the guy helping me through e-mails (josh) seems like a nice guy and has been very helpful. so its either

This .50
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1201112.asp?b=16&a=12&c=77&cid=131

Or.

This .53
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1193829.asp?b=16&a=12&c=77&cid=131

in my limited knowledge i can see no real big deal between the 2. on is a tiny bit bigger though.

Both of these are within my budget too..
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They both look good, ask Josh to evaluate both and discuss them with you, he has a good eye and will help you decide if you aren't sure of which one to pick. If having a h&a diamond is important to you, then we really need hearts images in order to judge overall cut precision, but JA do not provide them. If you just want a well cut diamond then either of these might fit the bill.
 
Date: 3/16/2009 10:47:42 AM
Author: Kelli
http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/Whiteflash-ACA-cut-diamond-1148636.htm

J SI1 just for kicks. It's $50 over budget too but if it were me and the stone was eye-clean, this would be my pick!

ETA: I don't know what the pricescope discount is, I think there is one though. But I might pick the one that Karl posted instead anyway.
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I like this stone! It'll face up white as ice as well! I say go for this one!

Those James allen stones looked great also!
 
My $.02 I just bought AGS I, SI-2 eye clean, triple ideal cut/ polish/ symmetry... and it looks icy white and clear as can be with fire and brilliance like I haven''t seen, no visible inclusions. Top cut I wouldn''t compromise on, but SI-2 and I color saved me a ton. Originally I thought I needed D,E,F VVS or VS but when I saw the prices (GULP!), the research started, and I''m very happy with the diamond. The cut makes ALL the difference (assuming eye clean).
GOOD LUCK! John
 
Stone-cold11 thanks im sorta leaning that way also. Lorelei thanks for stopping by i have ben reading all of your posts and you seem just like a really nice person. thank you.
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Hey all. I went with the .50 stone I posted above. Josh said the stones were both eye clean and looked like twins.

Now I need a setting to make it look bigger haaha ideas???
 
You could get a halo setting like this one from Beverley K. It visually "extends" the stone. Would she like that?

BK_R467b.jpg
 
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