Being completely new to diamond buying, I happily went for a SI2 clarity diamond, colour G, and picked a size to fit our budget (0.3 carat) for my engagement ring. The store helper said that SI2 will not have any flaws visible to the naked eye, and the internet seemed to back that up.
When I received the ring I didn''t notice anything wrong because the ring was super-shiny in the store and practically blinded me
Later I noticed a rather large black spot right in the middle of the diamond, slightly off-center. Showing the ring off to a (rather tactless) friend, she mentioned "Oh what''s with the big spot in the middle". So basically the flaw is visible. From arm length away (if you have very good eyes) you can just see it if you know where it is, and very visible if you look closely.
So I took it back to the store to be re-evaluated because I couldn''t believe such a big flaw could be found in a SI2 diamond. They seemed to think the clarity is correct (maybe it''s the only flaw or something?). My options are now to either upgrade to a SI1, same size and colour for +- $200. Or upgrade to a larger size 0.4, slightly worse colour H but VS2 clarity for $960. I''m from South Africa, so I converted the Rand price to $$.
I''m worried that the SI1 clarity won''t be good enough for my (apparently really great) eyesight. I don''t go gaga for big diamonds, so the size isn''t really an attraction point. They don''t have any 0.3 VS2 clarity diamonds available
Is the $1000 worth it for the slight upgrade from SI1 to VS2, is there big differences in quality between different SI1 diamonds? Will I be disappointed again by a SI1 diamond when I find flaws in it again?
Any advice will be much appreciated
When I received the ring I didn''t notice anything wrong because the ring was super-shiny in the store and practically blinded me
Later I noticed a rather large black spot right in the middle of the diamond, slightly off-center. Showing the ring off to a (rather tactless) friend, she mentioned "Oh what''s with the big spot in the middle". So basically the flaw is visible. From arm length away (if you have very good eyes) you can just see it if you know where it is, and very visible if you look closely.
So I took it back to the store to be re-evaluated because I couldn''t believe such a big flaw could be found in a SI2 diamond. They seemed to think the clarity is correct (maybe it''s the only flaw or something?). My options are now to either upgrade to a SI1, same size and colour for +- $200. Or upgrade to a larger size 0.4, slightly worse colour H but VS2 clarity for $960. I''m from South Africa, so I converted the Rand price to $$.
I''m worried that the SI1 clarity won''t be good enough for my (apparently really great) eyesight. I don''t go gaga for big diamonds, so the size isn''t really an attraction point. They don''t have any 0.3 VS2 clarity diamonds available

Is the $1000 worth it for the slight upgrade from SI1 to VS2, is there big differences in quality between different SI1 diamonds? Will I be disappointed again by a SI1 diamond when I find flaws in it again?
Any advice will be much appreciated