Buying Diamond for a Pendant...

[sbde]

Hi All,

I hope everyone is doing great. I've been off these boards for a few mos now dealing with having 2 kids under 2 but am jumping back into the diamond world to look for my baby gift.

I'm interested in getting a pendant (received a tennis bracelet after having my 1st child) and was wondering what you would recommend in terms of diamond stats for a pendant vs. an item that would get more closely scrutinized, such as a ring. My budget is tight (around 2K) and so I'd like to get the biggest bang for my buck - I'm not very color sensitive, believe that I can go lower in terms of clarity for a pendant stone and would just love a diamond with tons of fire

Please let me know your thoughts - can't wait to hear what the experts recommend.

Thank you in advance!!

 

[Dreamer_D]

I would look for a J color SI1 stone with a GIA Ex cut grade and a good looking IS image. I think that will maximize your budget. I liek James Allen for this type of purchase because the prices are really good and you can see images of the diamonds and request ideal scope images too.

This one is a real winner in my book, if you like it call JA right away and request an IS image.

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/J-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1370516.asp

This one is a 60/60 type that is also a good looking option. It will excell at brightness which I think is really suitable for a pendant:

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/J-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1375443.asp

This is another option, fat arrows means more contrast than the above stones:

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/J-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1353792.asp

 

[sbde]

dreamer!! my old preggo homie how have you been?

thanks so much for posting those selections. i've requested IS images for all 3 and will post them as soon as I get them.

what did you mean in terms of comparing diamond 1 & 2 re: brightness? at the end of the day, if you had to chose between any of the 3, which would you pick? or would you wait to see the IS images before answering that question? i really value your opinion, given how much you are on the boards and your extensive knowledge of diamonds.

take care and give my love to H!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I like those diamonds that Dreamer linked, but my one hesitation is that James Allen does not have a good upgrade policy. So if there is any chance you might want to later increase the size or specs of this diamond, I would go with someone with a better upgrade policy.

 

[sbde]

thanks diamondseeker - i appreciate your input!

i think it's very unlikely that i will be upgrading this diamond (or any of my diamond jewelry) in the future, so while i agree that james allen's upgrade policy isn't great, it isn't really a factor in this purchase. my main concern is really getting the most bang for my buck.

having said that - i would love to hear if anyone has any other suggestions for diamonds. i'm still waiting for the IS images from JA and will post them as soon as i receive them.

thanks all!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

thanks diamondseeker - i appreciate your input!

i think it's very unlikely that i will be upgrading this diamond (or any of my diamond jewelry) in the future, so while i agree that james allen's upgrade policy isn't great, it isn't really a factor in this purchase. my main concern is really getting the most bang for my buck.

having said that - i would love to hear if anyone has any other suggestions for diamonds. i'm still waiting for the IS images from JA and will post them as soon as i receive them.

thanks all!

You requested the IS images a 6 days ago and are STILL waiting on them??? Umm, that would make me just look over at WhiteFlash or Brian Gavin. I think that is ridiculous! I have to run pick up my daughter from school but I will look when I get back to suggest stones if no one else has done so by then! Oh, and do you know what type setting you want? Depending on what it is, that might influence where to get the diamond, too!

 

[sbde]

thx for the reply diamondseeker...and YES i am still waiting on the images...i sent a followup email to JA earlier today so i hope i hear back from them soon.

personally i loooove a 3 prong martini setting, but i'm worried about the safety of the diamond and how it'll hold up in the long run. therefore, i think i'll be getting a 4 prong basket setting for the pendant. while i've admired many of the bevel settings here on PS i don't think it's for me, although i do think it may make the diamond seem larger, no?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Yes, the bezels do make the diamonds look a little larger, but a basket setting is beautiful, too, in that it makes the diamond look like it is almost floating! And any of the vendors will be fine for that.

Well, it looks like none of the others with in-house stones have a .7 range J SI1, so it looks like you'll have to wait on James Allen. Did they tell you how long it would take when you called and asked for the idealscope images? I can see a 24 hour time frame, but I don't have any patience for someone having to wait 6 days. Very bad customer service!

 

[sbde]

i was told 3 business days when i requested the images on Saturday - so assuming that the clock started on Monday they are still a few days late. i'm hoping to hear back from them today with an update, and hopefully we'll be able to look at the IS images soon

ETA: just received an update - we should have the images later today.

 

[sbde]

so the IS images just came through from JA. i would LOVE to hear feedback from you all as to which diamonds look the best. i have them on hold for 24 hours - and will therefore be making a decision soon.

a refresher of the 3 stones:

Diamond #1
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/J-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1370516.asp

Diamond #2
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/J-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1375443.asp

Diamond #3
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/J-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1353792.asp

JA has highly recommended one of these diamonds, but i'd like to hear your feedback before saying which one it is.

thank you in advance!!

 

[yssie]

Interesting.. you have two quite different types there in A and B. I'm not such a big fan of C - we've seen better AGS0s and you're probably paying a slight premium for that coveted AGS0 'brand'.

A will show more coloured light in various types of lighting, B will excel in white light return. For a pendant I lean toward B - looks like a very nice 60/60 type, from the info we have.

What did the gemologist say?

 

[sbde]

thanks so much for your analysis of the stones yssie!

one other question - the crown & pavillion info is not given on these stones. would you feel comfortable purchasing without them? i know they are required for HCA

ETA: ugh sorry, ignore that. found the info in the grading report!

 

[yssie]

In any case - once you have an IS photo you don't need to worry about HCA - HCA estimates performance based on just 4 rounded, averaged inputs, IS photo shows presence or absence of light return of the actual stone, considering all proportions. IS/ASET doesn't distinguish between coloured and white light output though, but knowing the numbers can help us find trends.

 

[0-0-0]

+1 #2

 

[Dreamer_D]

One and two look good to me. For a pendant, I might lean to number 2 since I feel like brightness is a really important part of a pendant.

As for how long the IS images took, it is a while and I think you should have had an update while you waited, but since the diamonds are not in house at JA I am not totally surprised it took a while to collect all three.

Which one did JA recommend?

ETA: And great to see you too! Can you believe our LOs are over two years old now??

 

[sbde]

thanks again for the help yssie!

thbmok - thank you!

dreamer - our LO's are 2 and my 2nd is 6 mos old! btw, so happy for you - not sure if you saw my post to you in the preggo thread last week but i'm thrilled to hear your good news

 

[sbde]

JA is also strongly recommending #2 as well

the gemologist says that it is eye clean and the brightest of the bunch, and has great light performance.

#1 is also eye clean but is the darkest, while #3 has visible, high relief feathers.

i think i will consider purchasing #2 for my pendant - i have the night to think it over as the diamond is on hold until tomorrow afternoon. i'll keep everyone posted!

thank you again for your help!

 

[Dreamer_D]

thanks again for the help yssie!

thbmok - thank you!

dreamer - our LO's are 2 and my 2nd is 6 mos old! btw, so happy for you - not sure if you saw my post to you in the preggo thread last week but i'm thrilled to hear your good news

I thought you had another kiddo! So close together in age, you are a better woman than I Thanks for the excitement over our upcoming addition. I am pretty excited too. 8 more weeks!

Sounds like the second stone is a real winner! And such a nice size for a pendant.