Buying my first and hopefully last engagement ring

[jynx221]

There is so much info on these forums, its kind of overwhelming. I need to buy a ring by End of july. My budget is around $13,000. Im looking for a diamond with the following:

Princess cut
close to 1.5 carat
G color or above.

I found the following diamond and would like some advice as whether this would be good or can I do much better for the money? I spent years saving up for this and have gone through a lot of hardship with my girlfriend (due to my mother being ill and the tremendous about of medical bills I have had to deal with in the past). To make a long story short...I really want to make this moment the best that I can and give her something that she deserves.

Thanks in advance for everyone''s help.

Shape: Princess
Carat weight: 1.36
Cut: Ideal
Color: F
Clarity: VVS2
Certificate: GIA

Depth: 73.0%
Table: 67.0%
Polish: Very Good
Symmetry: Good
Girdle: Slightly thick to thick
Culet: None
Fluorescence: None
Measurements: 6.15*5.96*4.35
Ratio: 1.03

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/F-VVS2-Ideal-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1200979.asp

 

[musey]

Just wanted to say that if you're in any way serious about this diamond, you need to call ASAP and have it put on hold. Lurkers will see it posted here, swoop in and buy your stone before you've had time to make your decision... happens every day around here!

Just to warn you!

Now as for the stone itself, I am not a princess cut expert so I won't comment on that... but you can generally find a perfectly white and totally eye-clean stone for less, or a bigger stone for the same price, by dropping your stats. VVS2 tends to be overkill, and like you said G or better, so why not drop to G/VS2? It's all about personal preference, but you should know what your options are

Also, princess cuts can really be hit or miss just because of their mass-production status... you may want to check out the videos that Good Old Gold puts up over at vimeo. They will also make a video for you of any stone you're considering purchasing, which is a fantastic tool.

Here is a fantastic video demonstrating the difference between an average princess and a fantastically-cut princess.

 

[Lorelei]

Hi Jynx

I am sure you will end up with something wonderful!!! Are you definitely preferring colourless and VVS clarity? Thats fine if so but you could lower both a bit to include G or H colour and VS clarity without visual sacrifice if the cut is great - but this is a personal choice.

The JA diamond looks ok, but I think you could do better. I will have a look to see what else is out there to give you some choices?

Here you go, these two look great

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/5855/

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/5277/

http://www.highperformancediamonds.com/index.php?page=view-id-diamond-infinity&id=232 Infinity Princess

 

[musey]

Date: 6/9/2009 11:21:48 AM
Author: Lorelei
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/5855/


http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/5277/


http://www.highperformancediamonds.com/index.php?page=view-id-diamond-infinity&id=232 Infinity Princess

That second GOG one looks especially stunning! Doesn''t leave any room in the budget for setting, though... jynx221, is $13,000 the budget including setting, or just for the diamond?

 

[jynx221]

Thanks for the reply and the tip.

I guess I''m looking for feedback as to what I can get with my budget. I want the best that my budget allows me to (maximizing as close to it as possible). This is what I saved up just for her and I want it all for that purpose. So I guess it doesnt have to be a VVS1 etc. I just thought that was a good start. But if you say its overkill...my ears are open. I came here to learn and I appreciate all the help I can get.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 6/9/2009 11:31:17 AM
Author: musey

Date: 6/9/2009 11:21:48 AM
Author: Lorelei
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/5855/


http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/5277/


http://www.highperformancediamonds.com/index.php?page=view-id-diamond-infinity&id=232 Infinity Princess

That second GOG one looks especially stunning! Doesn''t leave any room in the budget for setting, though... jynx221, is $13,000 the budget including setting, or just for the diamond?

Yes but he might have a bit of flexibility there, the diamond was too good to not post!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 6/9/2009 11:31:35 AM
Author: jynx221
Thanks for the reply and the tip.

I guess I''m looking for feedback as to what I can get with my budget. I want the best that my budget allows me to (maximizing as close to it as possible). This is what I saved up just for her and I want it all for that purpose. So I guess it doesnt have to be a VVS1 etc. I just thought that was a good start. But if you say its overkill...my ears are open. I came here to learn and I appreciate all the help I can get.

Take a look at the diamonds I linked above jynx, they are all from great vendors too and will be beautiful stones. It is cut which gives a diamond its beauty so very important to get that part right, G or H colour and VS clarity are still very nice quality.

 

[jynx221]

Thanks Musey and Lorelei!

God you guys are so quick I dont even have time to press the refresh button and reply.

I put away a little extra for the setting. So the budget is for the diamond itself I guess?

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 6/9/2009 11:36:30 AM
Author: jynx221
Thanks Musey and Lorelei!

God you guys are so quick I dont even have time to press the refresh button and reply.

I put away a little extra for the setting. So the budget is for the diamond itself I guess?

Thats great, then the last GOG diamond I posted could be a definite contender!

 

[musey]

Date: 6/9/2009 11:40:48 AM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 6/9/2009 11:36:30 AM
Author: jynx221
Thanks Musey and Lorelei!

God you guys are so quick I dont even have time to press the refresh button and reply.

I put away a little extra for the setting. So the budget is for the diamond itself I guess?

Thats great, then the last GOG diamond I posted could be a definite contender!

Oh yes! Honestly, if I were you jynx, I''d pounce!!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 6/9/2009 11:42:32 AM
Author: musey

Date: 6/9/2009 11:40:48 AM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 6/9/2009 11:36:30 AM
Author: jynx221
Thanks Musey and Lorelei!

God you guys are so quick I dont even have time to press the refresh button and reply.

I put away a little extra for the setting. So the budget is for the diamond itself I guess?

Thats great, then the last GOG diamond I posted could be a definite contender!

Oh yes! Honestly, if I were you jynx, I''d pounce!!

I would definitely think about reserving it if you are interested jynx, there are a lot of diamond poaching lurkers out there.....

 

[jynx221]

I see people post dimensions and stuff. How important is that? I can''t seem to see it on the GOG diamond you linked.

 

[musey]

Date: 6/9/2009 12:05:28 PM
Author: jynx221
I see people post dimensions and stuff. How important is that? I can''t seem to see it on the GOG diamond you linked.

You can find all that under "Diamond Reports" (GIA Lab Report, Helium Report, Sarin Report, GIA Facetwire and Gem Advisor) on the diamond''s page.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 6/9/2009 12:05:28 PM
Author: jynx221
I see people post dimensions and stuff. How important is that? I can''t seem to see it on the GOG diamond you linked.

It should be there as Musey said, look at the categories to the side and below of the main pic of the diamond.

 

[jynx221]

How important is the crown, dimensions etc? I see alot of people get into the specifics of it. And how would I determine if it is good. For example the 2nd GOG diamond you linked.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 6/9/2009 12:36:59 PM
Author: jynx221
How important is the crown, dimensions etc? I see alot of people get into the specifics of it. And how would I determine if it is good. For example the 2nd GOG diamond you linked.

Crown and pavilion angles are usually used for round diamonds rather than Princess. These shapes are unpredictable by the numbers, that is why it is best to have images of the actual diamond from a trusted vendor, these images and videos can prove cut quality if you read up a little to understand how the images work. The videos such as the one Musey linked demonstrating the difference between a common cut and top cut Princess really show the difference cut makes.

This is an excellent tutorial which explains about ASET and Idealscope images, these are very useful for judging cut quality

http://www.highperformancediamonds.com/index.php?page=education-performance

 

[jynx221]

Thanks for all the help guys. I have been looking into the GOG item that you suggested. But I was wondering if you guys had any other suggestions that are comparable? Again the buggest im working with is anywhere from $10,000 to $13,000. I want to have more options so I can better understand what to look for.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 6/10/2009 2:17:23 PM
Author: jynx221
Thanks for all the help guys. I have been looking into the GOG item that you suggested. But I was wondering if you guys had any other suggestions that are comparable? Again the buggest im working with is anywhere from $10,000 to $13,000. I want to have more options so I can better understand what to look for.

Here is another, G colour SI1 clarity ( Jon at GOG will tell you if it is totally eyeclean)

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/5925/

I colour - http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/5817/

 

[jynx221]

So it's a bigger diamond for equal or even less money simply because of the color grade and clarity? Should this be a concern? Also I've seen in other websites it states that the diamond is blue or heavy in blue....what does that mean? Is this a good thing?

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 6/10/2009 3:36:42 PM
Author: jynx221
So it's a bigger diamond for equal or even less money simply because of the color grade and clarity? Should this be a concern? Also I've seen in other websites it states that the diamond is blue or heavy in blue....what does that mean? Is this a good thing?

Yes, colour and clarity greatly influence price. Colour and clarity just * are* and are really down to personal preference and budget, and in the SI clarity grades whether they are eyeclean or not. That is why having a trusted vendor who can inspect the diamond is so useful when dealing with SI clarity grades.

Blue in diamonds usually refers to fluorescence. Read more here - http://diamonds.pricescope.com/fluor.asp

Personally I like fluorescence, generally the only time it can be of concern is if a diamond has strong or very strong blue and it makes the diamond look cloudy in some lights, this is very rare though and if you are working with a trusted vendor they will be able to check the diamond for this. Also some believe medium or strong blue can help a diamond face up a little whiter which can be a bonus in the near colourless grades. So it is down to personal preference, really you might not even notice fluorescence unless you have strong blue, then you might notice a violety glow in some lights which I find really pretty. I also thing fluorescence can make a diamond look more ' plugged in' if that makes sense!