Hi Morley!
Welcome to Price Scope and the Forum!
Definitely follow the advise from Nice Ice. Learn about diamonds and look locally. See what color range attracts you, and view different clarity levels. Lots of people start here saying, "I want an E, VVS." only to learn that CUT is the *most* important thing.
Is it safe to buy on-line???
YES!!!
You have found a listing of some of the best and most reputable vendors any where in the world.
For the absolute best cuts, check out
White Flash, Nice Ice,
Good Old Gold, and SuperbCert.
White Flash cuts their own branded Hearts and Arrows diamond, the A Cut Above. I bought my diamond from them, had great customer service, and a wonderful diamond buying experience. If you have any questions about any
ACA, you can speak personally with
Brian Gavin, the cutter.
Nice Ice and
Good Old Gold hand select their diamonds using the strictest of standards. You'd think they were cherry picking each diamond for themselves. In fact, that's the way they do business. They won't sell you a diamond if they wouldn't keep it themselves.
SuperbCert is another branded Hearts and Arrows diamond. SuperbCert has sold beautiful diamonds to many satisfied customers.
Check out any vendor's return/refund and life-time upgrade policies. Chat with a few and find one you are comfortable with. Several of the vendors here will ship direct to an approved appraiser (see link above) for complete evaluation prior to you having to pay for the diamond. The appraiser works for you. If you don't like what he/she has to say, they ship the diamond back.
If you chose to work with someone locally, make sure to chose a totally INDEPENDENT, free-standing appraiser who does not sell jewelry. You want a totally unbiased opinion from someone with nothing to gain if you chose not to purchase the diamond. Just be sure to notify the appraiser in advance so they can schedule appropriately for you.
Spend some time learning about diamonds, and looking at diamonds. Surf the websites. See a diamond that interests you, just get the info including crown and pavillion angles. Come back here and use the Cut Adviser to pre-screen your choice. The Cut Adviser eliminates poor performers and gives buying recommendations like steep crown angles, a good buy if the price is right, and such.
Above all else, ENJOY the diamond buying experience.