Budget $40k

[Elysian]

Hello,

Hubby just told me over lunch that he wants to upgrade my e-ring in 2016 and our budget is $40k. I'm pretty stoked. Which vendor would you go with to spend this amount on stone alone?

I'm working on a diamond project currently and would like to choose the vendor with whom I would 'upgrade' through in 2016...

My two favorites now are GOG and WF for their trade-in program etc... I've heard some great things and not so great things about LM, and nothing but awesome about his diamond concierge PC.

I'd like F-H and H&A ideal cut RB. I'd be comfortable with VS for eye and mind clean. What can I get in terms of size in this price range?

Thanks for your input.

 

[two_little_birds]

WF - http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2696789.htm

GOG - nothing with your current specs.

2016 is still three years away though, and pricing can change a lot during that time (increase).

 

[04diamond<3]

WF - http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2696789.htm

GOG - nothing with your current specs.

2016 is still three years away though, and pricing can change a lot during that time (increase).

Huge +1....It's pretty early to start looking because of how often prices change....You can still get a nice looking 2ct for half your budget if you want to seriously look now instead of in 3 years...but if you're not going to lower your budget, I'd wait....

 

[Elysian]

Thanks, two little birds and 04diamond.

Oops, I guess I wasn't very clear in my post. I will be purchasing a diamond in the $11-13k range next month. I will then upgrade this stone in 2016. I'd like to choose a vendor first with a trade-in program, so that there may be less sunken cost... Yes, totally agreed now would be way too early to look for a purchase 3 years in the future.

I gather I can't go wrong with any PS suggested vendors...I guess my question was who do you recommend most? A list of 2-3 would be great! ... as I think the best way to make such a purchase is choosing the vendor first...

Thanks for any input you may offer.

 

[ecf8503]

WF and GOG are great places to start. Brian Gavin and James Allen also have very nice stones, but I don't think the trade-in is as good as with, say, GOG.

You can always call Jon at GOG if there is nothing on the site right now that is to your liking. I'm sure he can track something down.

 

[04diamond<3]

Here's a beautiful one:

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.28-carat-h-color-vs2-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-178777

JA has a PS members discount so you could ask them how much of a discount they're offering on this stone...they also have an upgrade policy of 100% of the cost towards a new stone 2x the original price. Since you're looking to spend at least that, this is a good policy...

This one's a J, but looks beautiful and faces up pretty white.

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.51-carat-j-color-vs1-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-178770

 

[diamondseeker2006]

WhiteFlash and Good Old Gold would be my top choices for H&A stones. They have the best trade-in policies and carry great diamonds.i think Jon told me he was going to be able to increase his supply soon. I have had great H&A stones from both. I think it just depends on what each one has or has coming in at the time you are ready to buy. Oh, and F-H is a great color range, but I have found the prices on F were so much higher that I have usually concentrated on G-H.

 

[Elysian]

WF and GOG are great places to start. Brian Gavin and James Allen also have very nice stones, but I don't think the trade-in is as good as with, say, GOG.

You can always call Jon at GOG if there is nothing on the site right now that is to your liking. I'm sure he can track something down.

Thank you, I'm waiting to hear back from Jon.

 

[Elysian]

Here's a beautiful one:

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.28-carat-h-color-vs2-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-178777

JA has a PS members discount so you could ask them how much of a discount they're offering on this stone...they also have an upgrade policy of 100% of the cost towards a new stone 2x the original price. Since you're looking to spend at least that, this is a good policy...

This one's a J, but looks beautiful and faces up pretty white.

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.51-carat-j-color-vs1-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-178770

Indeed beautiful! Thanks for these links.

 

[Elysian]

WhiteFlash and Good Old Gold would be my top choices for H&A stones. They have the best trade-in policies and carry great diamonds.i think Jon told me he was going to be able to increase his supply soon. I have had great H&A stones from both. I think it just depends on what each one has or has coming in at the time you are ready to buy. Oh, and F-H is a great color range, but I have found the prices on F were so much higher that I have usually concentrated on G-H.

That's good to know about f being so much more $ than the g-h range. I'm so glad I decided to ask for you all's help. My current e-ring is in the f-g range and I do enjoy the icy steely white look. I do notice a little bit of warmth in certain angles but it doesn't bother me too much. I'm wondering if J especially graded by AGS will be too warm to me. I guess there's only one quick way to know, to visit a local jeweler... From the videos by Jon at GOG J looks like a great alternative to an I. This is going to be the longest 7 weeks!

 

[madelise]

Since you know for sure 100% that you will be upgrading, I suggest GOG. Just because they also have a 75% buy-back policy. Most vendors don't have that, though they have upgrade policies. The reason I suggest considering this is because… what if, during your upgrade search, you decide you want something completely different and want to go with a different vendor? Just something to consider.

 

[GreenBling]

WhiteFlash and Good Old Gold would be my top choices for H&A stones. They have the best trade-in policies and carry great diamonds.i think Jon told me he was going to be able to increase his supply soon. I have had great H&A stones from both. I think it just depends on what each one has or has coming in at the time you are ready to buy. Oh, and F-H is a great color range, but I have found the prices on F were so much higher that I have usually concentrated on G-H.

That's good to know about f being so much more $ than the g-h range. I'm so glad I decided to ask for you all's help. My current e-ring is in the f-g range and I do enjoy the icy steely white look. I do notice a little bit of warmth in certain angles but it doesn't bother me too much. I'm wondering if J especially graded by AGS will be too warm to me. I guess there's only one quick way to know, to visit a local jeweler... From the videos by Jon at GOG J looks like a great alternative to an I. This is going to be the longest 7 weeks!

I had GIA F and G stones for years until I ventured into an I that I bought from GOG. It's an AGS Ideal with medium blue fluor. After wearing an F on my finger for all these years, I don't need to put the I next to it to notice the difference. Not that the I is tinted, it's just not icy like an F. The I does face up colorless in most lighting but just not the same way as an F if that makes sense? I do not regret getting an I as trade off for size. But if $ is not a concern, I'd pick F/G.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

WhiteFlash and Good Old Gold would be my top choices for H&A stones. They have the best trade-in policies and carry great diamonds.i think Jon told me he was going to be able to increase his supply soon. I have had great H&A stones from both. I think it just depends on what each one has or has coming in at the time you are ready to buy. Oh, and F-H is a great color range, but I have found the prices on F were so much higher that I have usually concentrated on G-H.

That's good to know about f being so much more $ than the g-h range. I'm so glad I decided to ask for you all's help. My current e-ring is in the f-g range and I do enjoy the icy steely white look. I do notice a little bit of warmth in certain angles but it doesn't bother me too much. I'm wondering if J especially graded by AGS will be too warm to me. I guess there's only one quick way to know, to visit a local jeweler... From the videos by Jon at GOG J looks like a great alternative to an I. This is going to be the longest 7 weeks!

My orginal e-ring was F color. Then after many years, we upgraded to a larger G color H&A stone. Now I am upgrading again to a larger newly cut OEC called an August Vintage Round from Good Old Gold and it is I color because that was the highest color they had over 2 cts. I will tell you that at first I was afraid of I color because I looked at a low I color and could see too much tint. I also looked at J and did not like it for my e-ring. (I will however consider a low color cushion to put in a halo if I have the chance to get another diamond later on.) So for me, for my round engagement ring which I want to appear white, I color is my limit. A lot of people can begin to see tint in J, but it all depends on personal preference as to whether you want a smaller stone in a higher color or the largest possible stone in a lower color. Of course, if you know you are going to upgrade again in 3 years, you don't have to worry so much since you know you'll be changing it down the road anyway!

 

[Elysian]

Since you know for sure 100% that you will be upgrading, I suggest GOG. Just because they also have a 75% buy-back policy. Most vendors don't have that, though they have upgrade policies. The reason I suggest considering this is because… what if, during your upgrade search, you decide you want something completely different and want to go with a different vendor? Just something to consider.

Thanks for your thoughts, madelise. I think WF buys back within a year, 70% purchase price, as where GOG does not seem to have a time limit for buy-back, right? You bring up an excellent question, "...want something completely different...different vendor." To dovetail this Q, I asked myself what if I want a completely different stone, like an antique stone or more specifically an AV in the future? GOG would be the right vendor for this dilemma. You had my brain juices flowing, I like that, and thank you.

However, I decided to go with WF with this particular project. I will definitely consider GOG for my future projects.

 

[Elysian]

WhiteFlash and Good Old Gold would be my top choices for H&A stones. They have the best trade-in policies and carry great diamonds.i think Jon told me he was going to be able to increase his supply soon. I have had great H&A stones from both. I think it just depends on what each one has or has coming in at the time you are ready to buy. Oh, and F-H is a great color range, but I have found the prices on F were so much higher that I have usually concentrated on G-H.

That's good to know about f being so much more $ than the g-h range. I'm so glad I decided to ask for you all's help. My current e-ring is in the f-g range and I do enjoy the icy steely white look. I do notice a little bit of warmth in certain angles but it doesn't bother me too much. I'm wondering if J especially graded by AGS will be too warm to me. I guess there's only one quick way to know, to visit a local jeweler... From the videos by Jon at GOG J looks like a great alternative to an I. This is going to be the longest 7 weeks!

I had GIA F and G stones for years until I ventured into an I that I bought from GOG. It's an AGS Ideal with medium blue fluor. After wearing an F on my finger for all these years, I don't need to put the I next to it to notice the difference. Not that the I is tinted, it's just not icy like an F. The I does face up colorless in most lighting but just not the same way as an F if that makes sense? I do not regret getting an I as trade off for size. But if $ is not a concern, I'd pick F/G.

Thanks, GreenBling. Yeah, I hear ya. I'm going to see with the "I" I'm getting, wear it until my upgrade and decide if I like it. If I do, maybe I could hit almost 3 carats with "I," that is, depending on the market at the time. It seems that with $40k I can get a 2.5ct G VS in the current market. We will see!

 

[Elysian]

WhiteFlash and Good Old Gold would be my top choices for H&A stones. They have the best trade-in policies and carry great diamonds.i think Jon told me he was going to be able to increase his supply soon. I have had great H&A stones from both. I think it just depends on what each one has or has coming in at the time you are ready to buy. Oh, and F-H is a great color range, but I have found the prices on F were so much higher that I have usually concentrated on G-H.

That's good to know about f being so much more $ than the g-h range. I'm so glad I decided to ask for you all's help. My current e-ring is in the f-g range and I do enjoy the icy steely white look. I do notice a little bit of warmth in certain angles but it doesn't bother me too much. I'm wondering if J especially graded by AGS will be too warm to me. I guess there's only one quick way to know, to visit a local jeweler... From the videos by Jon at GOG J looks like a great alternative to an I. This is going to be the longest 7 weeks!

My orginal e-ring was F color. Then after many years, we upgraded to a larger G color H&A stone. Now I am upgrading again to a larger newly cut OEC called an August Vintage Round from Good Old Gold and it is I color because that was the highest color they had over 2 cts. I will tell you that at first I was afraid of I color because I looked at a low I color and could see too much tint. I also looked at J and did not like it for my e-ring. (I will however consider a low color cushion to put in a halo if I have the chance to get another diamond later on.) So for me, for my round engagement ring which I want to appear white, I color is my limit. A lot of people can begin to see tint in J, but it all depends on personal preference as to whether you want a smaller stone in a higher color or the largest possible stone in a lower color. Of course, if you know you are going to upgrade again in 3 years, you don't have to worry so much since you know you'll be changing it down the road anyway!

Chock full of great info as always, DS2006. I've said this already but your AVR is one of the most beautiful old cuts I've ever seen. I wonder where my limit lies in terms of color range, as I am quite color sensitive. But color sensitive doesn't necessarily mean color intolerant, right? I rather like the ever so slight warmth of my F-G. In my search, I have learned a little about myself... I do prefer smaller/higher color vs. larger/warmer. So like you, maybe I is my limit. We will see!