shape
carat
color
clarity

Bit of a bind...

Status
Not open for further replies. Please create a new topic or request for this thread to be opened.

Brando

Rough_Rock
Joined
Sep 7, 2005
Messages
44
Here's my story... I'm looking for an engagement ring for my girlfriend. I decided to go down to LA and found Oscar's Design Jewelry and liked the prices compared to the stores in my town here. This last weekend I ran down and picked up a princess cut diamond but now feel like I made a horrible mistake. I didn't find this site until AFTER I bought this weekend and now I find all the information about cuts and color and stuff that I needed months ago!

What I bought:
1.03 carat Princess
depth 70.4
Crown 7.6
5.74X5.64X3.97
Table 75
E, VS1

Now I'm reading that I could have been just as happy with a G or H color, VS2 or good SI1 and saved some cash. I paid about 5300 I believe for this one. Now that i know what to look for I find these two and wondered what you all thought of these diamonds in comparison. They're even cheaper!

http://www.dirtcheapdiamonds.com/diamond_detail.cfm?did=7503787

http://www.dirtcheapdiamonds.com/diamond_detail.cfm?did=7503850

The other problem I have is backing out of the diamond/ring I already paid for. Is it going to be ok if I ask them to call it off? (not sure if they started on setting it yet or not, they had to order the yellow gold setting I wanted.) Am I just going through buyer's remorse here? I just wish I would have found this site a week ago!!
 
well there is only one factor--what is their return policy? if you can return it for full refund do so immediately. if not tell them that you changed your mind and at least find a stone through them that has specs you are comfortable with--
 
Whew! I spoke to them and they're going to send me back my check and everything. I'm so happy about that, really excellent return policy and customer service for Oscar's Design Jewelry I must say.

Now, to find a better diamond. What about the other two I posted, how do they look? And which online dealers have a good reputation around here?
 
I don''t know too much about princesses but there are some various options. First, check out www.gemappraisers.com cut grading charts for princesses and squares. It will help give you an idea of the type of specs you may be looking for in an ''ideal'' cut princess...they are out there but hard to find!!

Someone on here, Mr Bleeker, recently got a STUNNING princess stone, I think he got it from DirtCheap so maybe you can PM him or check out his posts to find out what kind of specs and stone he ended up with. The IdealScope image on it was stunning.

Princesses tend to not return as much light as a round well-cut stone but we have seen some amazing IdealScope images, which measure light return to your eyes, around here so well-cut princesses are out there.

Some vendors that sell them are Excel Diamonds (they have their own SuperbCert Princess line which is supposed to be quite nice); DCD as you already noted, maybe call them up and tell them what you are looking for, they are easy to speak with; WhiteFlash also has some Expert Selection princesses in their selection and also GoodOldGold has them as well, and they are hand-picked. Don''t know if I am forgetting anyone but I''d make sure to check out those 4 vendors.

I''d look for nice specs (aka lower table and depth and not a thick girdle) and also a really nice IdealScope to measure light return. Oh and lastly there is some new branded cut ideal princess that Winfields sells (winkjones.com) and someone on here had one recently and the pictures looked stunning. So I''d check those out as well though I think that the inventory is slim and I have no idea on pricing and markups since it''s fairly new.

Anyhow good luck, I think you did the right thing in returning the original stone to do more research...it''s always best to feel 10000% secure in your purchase wherever you do buy. Good luck!
 
Oh thank god they will send you back your check. Mara gave you great advice and all the vendors she mentioned, I would recommend as well. Good luck and let us know how you make out in your search. I can''t help you with princess cuts, but MrBleeker did get a lovely one.
 
Brando,

I''m glad they did return your money, sounds like they are a trustworthy business at least!

If you have any questions you''d like to ask me about my recent purchase (from James Allen - same as DCD) PM me with any questions and I''ll be more than happy to try and help you. Check out my loose diamond thread, and you''ll see the idealscope image. This is something that can help with princess cuts to get a rough idea how the react to light. My ultimate decision, however, rested upon the verbal discussions with Jim (owner of DCD and James Allen) and his staff. He was 100 percent honest in his opinions towards several stones I looked at. He and his staff are more than willing to work with you quickly, and hastle-free.

Loose Stone

Finished Stone

Let me know if you have any questions,
 
Thats good that you were able to get your money back. My girlfriend also likes the princess cut look. Both of the ones you have posted look like good stones. They also seem reasonably priced. I recommend using Bluenile or Mondera as online price guides. You can also check out goodoldgold.com. They have some other very nice square cuts. Jubilee, HA square and regents. They''ll email you pictures and specs of any stones you''re interested in. HOF also has a square diamond called the "dream diamond" which although pricey, captures the brilliance of a round in a square shape. They are AGS for cut and they sparkle better than any princesses I''ve seen. Regardless of what you end up doing, pay close attention to cut. The better the cut, the more its going to sparkle. Although clarity is important, a good SI1 will save you some money and you cant tell the difference between SI1 and VS except under a high power scope. Good luck!
 
I recommend using Bluenile or Mondera as online price guides.
Bluenile was easily $200-$400 dollars higher than any of the Pricescope vendors here, well the vendors that are commonly posted about here. And, they won''t do Idealscopes or Sarin info for you. Mondera wasn''t much better pricewise, when I searched.
 
I meant AGS0 for cut. opps
19.gif
 
Princess cuts have the potential to show their colour more than rounds, so I don't think that you did a bad thing going with "E" colour necessarily. I don't know if I would go down to "H" or not in a Princess.

The very clean SI-1 is also harder to find than you might think, especially if you have eagle eyes (although it is possible). VS-2 is quite often a very safe bet and would still save you some cash (I see that you've chosen two potential VS-2 stones above).

Anyway, don't stress too much about your colour and clarity choice, because I don't think you can go quite as low as you might think without seeing the difference.
 
At this point I''m looking at F-G colors and VS1-VS2 clarity. My girlfriend is good at spotting details so I think I need to go at least VS2 to be safe. It''s also going to be set in yellow gold so I don''t think a G color is going to show as well. (from what I''ve heard, correct me if I''m wrong).

I''m looking first at table to depth ratio, trying to find low in both with a little lower in table. Then the dimensions, as square as possible. 1.01 or 1.02 at the most. With that in mind I have 5 stones at whiteflash I''m looking at and talking to Jamie about. I have one at .90 and up to 1.06 on two.

I''ve also checked girdle, 2 are stk-tk and the other three I tried to find smaller girdles so they range between ethn and tk. I''ve heard extremely thin can be damaged on princess cuts though. What''s the rule of thumb here?

What do I look at next? I can''t find crown info yet and i don''t think they''ll call in all 5 and run Sarin reports on all of them. They did say they would idealscope them for me and send pics but I''ll probably have to narrow them down to 2 or 3 candidates. How do I do that?
 
Status
Not open for further replies. Please create a new topic or request for this thread to be opened.
GET 3 FREE HCA RESULTS JOIN THE FORUM. ASK FOR HELP
Top