Carat or Color? Please Help

[abell2003]

Hello,

I'm looking for an engagement ring. I'm looking at princess cut. Originally I thought I wanted to stay around 1 carat, but I'm trying to stay around $3,500 for the entire ring. I have found some 1 carats in my price range but they are K or J. I'm trying to decide if I should lower the carat weight to say a .80 and then try to find a F or G. I like the engagement bands on whiteflash and jamesallen. Does anyone out there have any suggestion on rings? I want to go with just a simple solitaire. My girlfriend is also very petite so I think too big of a ring will look odd. I'm starting to lean on getting a smaller diamond but higher quality. Thanks in advance!

 

[Haven]

Okay, so "quality" is a relative term, and a lower-colored stone does not equal lower quality.

Have you seen J and K stones in person and compared them to F and G stones of the same cut quality?

Do you know what your GF prefers? If she wants a larger size over higher color, go with that. If she wants higher color over size, go with that. If she won't know the difference, go with a larger size.

 

[slg47]

I would go with a higher color and smaller size personally. Princesses tend to show more color than rounds so I would stick with I and above.

some options
http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/princess-cut-loose-diamond-2327037.htm
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/E-VVS2-Premium-Cut-Princess-Diamond-1338056.asp

 

[Dreamer_D]

I would not say that J/K = poor quality. See them in person and decide what pleases your and your gf's eyes the most. She might like the bigger rock in a lower color, or might prefer the smaller rock in the higher color.

I would probably go a little smaller to have a more colorless stone. Princess cuts show a little more color than rounds, and I am not a fan of slight tint in that shape. I think H color would be fine, though, in the size you are looking at!

Here are some suggestions. I recommend AGS0 princess cuts because they have a cut quality grade (unlike GIA). Or buy GIA from a vendor like GOG who are really picky about optics.

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/8000/
http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/princess-cut-loose-diamond-2327038.htm
Another: http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamond/diamond-detail/?product_id=AGS-104047876015

Any of the vendors can find you a solitaire, find the diamond first then look for the setting.

 

[abell2003]

Thank you guys for your replies. I didn't mean to say that that lower color diamonds weren't good quality. My girlfriend works in an office setting with a lot of other girls that have very nice engagement rings and I just don't want her to feel inferior to them. I haven't really looked at different diamonds in person and I want to surprise her as much as I can. She has told me multiple times that she doesn't care if I buy her a $600 ring from JC Penny's. So I don't really think I have to worry about her hating it. I'm also very thrifty and I don't mind spending money on nice things, but I just want to get the best bang for my buck. So that being said is the conciseness still that I should get a lower carat diamond that is cleaner?

 

[dreamingoftacori]

Personally I'd take a smaller brighter ice white stone over a larger warmer stone any day. I love the look of an ideal stone in a high color that looks crisp to the eye. And I'd sacrifice size to get the color I wanted and like.

But it comes down to what your gf prefers, size or color?

 

[amitmals]

i compared some diamonds yesterday and i think its better to have a 0.8 and nicer cut , cleaner color then 1 c and lower color/cuts

its just more impressive and more wow when it sparkles more !!!

 

[Haven]

i compared some diamonds yesterday and i think its better to have a 0.8 and nicer cut , cleaner color then 1 c and lower color/cuts

its just more impressive and more wow when it sparkles more !!!

You aren't going to find anyone here who would advise you to go with anything but an excellent cut. The cut is what makes it sparkle more, not color.

 

[Amys Bling]

i compared some diamonds yesterday and i think its better to have a 0.8 and nicer cut , cleaner color then 1 c and lower color/cuts

its just more impressive and more wow when it sparkles more !!!

You aren't going to find anyone here who would advise you to go with anything but an excellent cut. The cut is what makes it sparkle more, not color.

Totally agree with Haven. An excellent cut will help mask some color, help with the clarity, make it sooo much more sparkly, and an excellent cut stone will appear bigger and may even be bigger in dimension than a "good" or even "very good" cut stone of the same weight. Check dimensions as well- a good cut with a steeper/deeper cut will be smaller face up than an excellent cut.

as for the color issue- I would see how sensitive she is to color and what her preference is... if she is color sensitive and doesn't like a tint in her stone, the J/K stone may be a mistake. On the other hand, if she sees a tint and doesn't mind, she may appreciate the bigger size.