Definitely new to this but have researched... need help though!

[biggy135]

So my dilemma is this: I have a budget (as everyone does.. maybe haha) which is no more then $4500. I am not looking for a large stone because i want a diamond that shows off brillance and fire. I have seen some H&A cuts in person and they are amazing. I have looked around at whiteflash, jamesallen, and a few other places but am skeptic about ordering something off the internet like this. I have been told by more than one jeweler to beware of diamonds online which obviouslly i took with a grain of salt due to the nature of competition but still it ate at me...haha.

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/E-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-967826.asp

I looked at that diamond but it is abit small but seems like it would be a beautiful diamond! I am looking for suggestions on what clarity i should go with and what color. I did tell a different between colorless and nearcolorless but maybe that is because i am a biochem student in college so i look at things all the time on a micro-level. I hear people saying they went with a IS2 rather then a vs2 or vs1 because you can''t tell a difference. I am far too amateur at this to say I NEED TO BUY A VS2 but at the same time I really want to buy a great diamond off the internet and not have to worry about negative possibilites.

I know for a fact i want an IDEAL cut if not H&A''s and i also know that i want the porportions close to each other. I do not want to buy a ring under .8 and definitely can''t afford the specs i want at above .95 probably. Can anyone give me guidance on what i should look for in color and clarity. And if anyone has any experience with a website that really was a great experience i would appreciate that as well. It seems that buying a diamond is definitely not straight forward... i really am scared to buy a IS2 and then get clarity that doesnt compare to a vs2. Thanks for your help guys!

 

[turtledazzle]

Hello and welcome.

Date: 2/15/2008 4:20:32 PM
Author:biggy135
So my dilemma is this: I have a budget (as everyone does.. maybe haha) which is no more then $4500. I am not looking for a large stone because i want a diamond that shows off brillance and fire. I have seen some H&A cuts in person and they are amazing. I have looked around at whiteflash, jamesallen, and a few other places but am skeptic about ordering something off the internet like this. I have been told by more than one jeweler to beware of diamonds online which obviouslly i took with a grain of salt due to the nature of competition but still it ate at me...haha.

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/E-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-967826.asp

I looked at that diamond but it is abit small but seems like it would be a beautiful diamond! I am looking for suggestions on what clarity i should go with and what color. I did tell a different between colorless and nearcolorless but maybe that is because i am a biochem student in college so i look at things all the time on a micro-level. I hear people saying they went with a IS2 rather then a vs2 or vs1 because you can't tell a difference. I am far too amateur at this to say I NEED TO BUY A VS2 but at the same time I really want to buy a great diamond off the internet and not have to worry about negative possibilites.

I know for a fact i want an IDEAL cut if not H&A's and i also know that i want the porportions close to each other. I do not want to buy a ring under .8 and definitely can't afford the specs i want at above .95 probably. Can anyone give me guidance on what i should look for in color and clarity. And if anyone has any experience with a website that really was a great experience i would appreciate that as well. It seems that buying a diamond is definitely not straight forward... i really am scared to buy a IS2 and then get clarity that doesnt compare to a vs2. Thanks for your help guys!

I am by no means an expert, and I'm sure others will chime in here as well.

First of all -- as far as clarity goes, you mean SI1 or SI2 in you post above (SI for Slightly included).
Secondly -- congrats, as you have already learned that cut is king! An ideal cut or H&A diamond will be beautiful.

No one can tell you what color or clarity you will be happy with -- it is very much an individual decision.
For me personally, I could start to see the warmth in diamonds around I color ... so we looked for stones with H color or higher (and ended up with an H). Others are more color sensitive; still other actually like warmth in their stones. Note: an ideal cut diamond will face up a lot whiter than another more poorly cut stone of the same color grade.

Clarity is also a very individual thing. Some people like 'mind-clean' stones (i.e. if they know the inclusions are in there, it will bug them even if they are very hard to detect). Like you, we were a bit uneasy about purchasing our diamond online -- so we ended up choosing a VS2 diamond for peace of mind-cleanness (we did purchase online). VS2 diamonds are going to be eye-clean (and honestly, the main inclusion in my stone is a cloud and I cannot find it with a loupe). However, many people here are very, very happy to have eye-clean SI1 stones or even eye-clean SI2 stones. Some people think of their SI inclusions as 'birthmarks' -- and they serve as a way to identify their stone. The PS vendors will be very honest with you concerning whether or not a stone is eye-clean.

Good luck!

 

[turtledazzle]

Is your $4500 budget for the diamond and setting, or for the diamond alone?

 

[turtledazzle]

This is a 0.81 G/VS2 for $3858 (bank wire), scores 1.2 on the HCA: http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/3892/

 

[Ellen]

Ditto td''s question. And, are you the guy or the girl?

If you''re the guy, your girl is the one who will be staring at the ring most. If she''s NOT color sensitive, you could at least go to H, maybe I. Clarity, if it''s totally eyeclean, it''s good.

The biggest problemn is, you''re looking at a rather hard size to find. There won''t be a huge selection here.

And lastly, if you but from a reptable vendor, you will be fine.

We''d love to help you, once we know what the stone budget is. If that''s the total you gave, what type of setting did you have in mind? They can eat up a lot of money if you don''t go simple.

 

[biggy135]

thanks for the many replies.. to answer a few questions.. I am the GUY buying the diamond for the girl

My budget is 4500 for the diamond because we are both very happy with a simple 4-prong white gold setting... we want the diamond to be simple but showcased

that diamond at goodoldgold.com looks amazing.. would you recommend this dealer? I feel like they offer alot of useful grading criteria.. definitely makes me feel better about buying a diamond online. I''ve gone to jewelers in town and have been offered ridiculious prices compared to these prices online; it makes me sick. The upsell seems horrible not to mention voicemails from these stores (shouldn''t of given my # out) haha.

So the overall consensus that i am reading is that the size i am looking for might be troublesum? I just really want a pretty diamond for what i can afford... i really don''t want to buy a diamond that my eyes might be able to see a cloud in.. i was able to pick up some clouds in a diamond at the store before looking at it in a microscope so i guess that would annoy me but my gf would not be able to pick this out. Thanks for all the help already!!

 

[biggy135]

I was also wondering what is the prettiest cut.. since i was seeing different cuts other than H&A''s... like solasfera or eithernity...

 

[ButterBean]

Date: 2/16/2008 4:58:27 AM
Author: biggy135
I was also wondering what is the prettiest cut.. since i was seeing different cuts other than H&A''s... like solasfera or eithernity...

Again, as you''ve heard before: This is an idividual decision. "Prettiest" to one person would not be to another, etc. Maybe you could ask her best friend or sister if your girlfriend has stated any preference. Assuming they could be trusted to keep secrets.

 

[gwendolyn]

Date: 2/16/2008 4:49:40 AM
Author: biggy135
thanks for the many replies.. to answer a few questions.. I am the GUY buying the diamond for the girl


My budget is 4500 for the diamond because we are both very happy with a simple 4-prong white gold setting... we want the diamond to be simple but showcased


that diamond at goodoldgold.com looks amazing.. would you recommend this dealer? I feel like they offer alot of useful grading criteria.. definitely makes me feel better about buying a diamond online. I''ve gone to jewelers in town and have been offered ridiculious prices compared to these prices online; it makes me sick. The upsell seems horrible not to mention voicemails from these stores (shouldn''t of given my # out) haha.

Good Old Gold (or GOG) has an excellent reputation. If you do a search on the site, you will see a ton a positive feedback, both about the quality of the diamonds and their excellent service.

Author: biggy135
So the overall consensus that i am reading is that the size i am looking for might be troublesum? I just really want a pretty diamond for what i can afford... i really don''t want to buy a diamond that my eyes might be able to see a cloud in.. i was able to pick up some clouds in a diamond at the store before looking at it in a microscope so i guess that would annoy me but my gf would not be able to pick this out. Thanks for all the help already!!

If clarity is important to you, make that known to your vendor! If you don''t want to see anything at all with the naked eye from any angle, make sure to say so--everyone has different definitions of what ''eye clean'' is, but as long as you are clear about your wants, GOG (or any of the other PS recommended vendors) will be more than happy to help you find something.

I think some folks have been able to find eye-clean (to their definition) SI2s, maybe even SI3s? So those aren''t completely out of the realm of possibility, although they are probably quite rare. Many people here have eye-clean SI1s and are VERY happy with them, but if you want to stick within the VS range for peace of mind, that''s perfectly fine too! It''s all personal choice.

 

[gwendolyn]

Disclaimer: I am NO expert!!! But thought I''d poke around to see if I can find any for you anyway.

It''s also worth something to keep in mind (if you''re open to diamonds with a bit of colour) that really well cut diamonds won''t show colour as much, so you could go down lower in colour than an E unless colour is a high priority for you.

From WhiteFlash (there''s a bank wire discount off these, but I don''t remember how much it is--I think it generally knock a few hundred dollars off the price?):


0.81 F SI1 ACA (A Cut Above, super-ideal cut stones) for $3641, would need to verify that it''s eye clean: http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-609773.htm

0.828 D SI2 ACA for $3809, would need to verify that it''s eye clean: http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-471531.htm

0.744 G VS1 ACA for $3722: http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-636712.htm

1.008 I SI1 ACA for $4725 (with the wire transfer, should be within budget): http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-636624.htm

 

[gwendolyn]

I think turtledazzle''s GOG stone is just gorgeous!! He''s another one that I thought looked good:

0.81 E SI1 H&A, scored a 1.2 on the HCA, $3901 bank wire price: http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/334/

 

[turtledazzle]

Date: 2/16/2008 4:49:40 AM
Author: biggy135
thanks for the many replies.. to answer a few questions.. I am the GUY buying the diamond for the girl

My budget is 4500 for the diamond because we are both very happy with a simple 4-prong white gold setting... we want the diamond to be simple but showcased

that diamond at goodoldgold.com looks amazing.. would you recommend this dealer? I feel like they offer alot of useful grading criteria.. definitely makes me feel better about buying a diamond online. I''ve gone to jewelers in town and have been offered ridiculious prices compared to these prices online; it makes me sick. The upsell seems horrible not to mention voicemails from these stores (shouldn''t of given my # out) haha.

Many people here have been very happy purchasing from GoodOldGold, as well as Whiteflash, James Allen, and many others. You will get a much better quality diamond for your money by purchasing online.

So the overall consensus that i am reading is that the size i am looking for might be troublesum?

There just aren''t a lot of Just_under_1ct stones out there ... and then there is a price jump when you get over 1ct.

I just really want a pretty diamond for what i can afford... i really don''t want to buy a diamond that my eyes might be able to see a cloud in.. i was able to pick up some clouds in a diamond at the store before looking at it in a microscope so i guess that would annoy me but my gf would not be able to pick this out. Thanks for all the help already!!

Like I said earlier, only you and your GF can decide what clarity you''d be comfortable with. If you''re worried, then VS2 should be fine ... but if you''d be content with an eye-clean SI1 then you''d be able to get a larger stone for you money.

Gwen has given you a lot of new great choices. When you know what clarity/color you''d be comfortable with ... use the "search by cut" function (under the "prices" menu at the top of the page to see what size you can get within budget. This search function will also list the discounted price for bank wire transactions and, in the case of Whiteflash, the PriceScope discount (ask for the PriceScope discount if you purchase from WF).

Good luck!

 

[arjunajane]

Hi Biggy135, welcome
First off, I''d just like to say that I agree with the pps, only you and ur intended can ultimately decide on colour/clarity comfotability.
However, that said, I would like to chime in as I have a similar (even less) budget than you.
When I first started my search, I was convinced I couldn''t possibly go with Anything below H colour VS calrity

- Boy, how my attitude has changed!
By doing my research, with alot of help from Jon and team from GOG, I am currently considering stones in I/J colour and SI to I1 clarity. (I''m aware that I1 is not for everone, but the general consensus seems to be if you can get summin reasonably eye clean they are an economical choice.)

Going into these ranges means one can get Alot more size than may be possible otherwise. You don''t need to go "as low" as me of course, just my 2c!

Anyway, my advice? Call/email/visit Jonathan at GOG - as mentioned, you will find they have a stirling reputation both on PS and the wider community.

I haven''t finalised my decision yet, but Jon has been helpful, patient, and most importantly honest the whole time

If you can''t get there like me, he can record a video of the stones you''re choosing between to further help. They also have their very fair trade up and 30 day return policies.
Anyway, this post has gotten long enough!
I wish you well in ur search, be sure to let everyone know how you''re getting on

 

[biggy135]

alright thanks so much guys. I don''t think i could ever buy one in person considering how much more they sell them for. I will take your advice though and look at different colors and clarity per cut in order to find something we both can say is "pretty". I will definitely consider the reputable companies online!