Diamond Pendant Help

[metall]

Hi All,

I am a complete newbie when it comes to diamonds, and jewelry in general. With all that said, I would love to buy my mom a really nice diamond pendant for Christmas. My parents have sacrificed so much to ensure that my brother and I are where we are today.

Now that I'm financially stable, at my first "real" job, I want to spoil her with something that she would really be able to enjoy. I have read through the forum here quite a bit and it seems that a lot of the discussion revolves around diamonds for e-rings, but not as much on diamonds for pendants.

From my research, it appears that I would be able to sacrifice a bit on color and clarity (as long as it is eye clean), but keep the emphasis on cut and carat? I am thinking of a single stone set in a fancy-ish pendant, maybe like the picture below? My budget for the stone alone is around 1,000 to 1,500. I would love to see if anyone on PS would have a good stone recommendations, whether I should sacrifice on color and clarity to be able to get a little more in terms of carat and potentially a better cut stone. Ideally I would like to have a stone that is around half a carat...but I honestly don't really know where to start with the other c's

If anyone could point me towards be start of this yellow brick road, i would very much appreciate it.

Thank you!

-HL

 

[whitewave]

Jewels By Grace has a heart shaped stone in a bezel pendant in your price range.

http://www.jewelsbygrace.com/48ct-diamond-shaped-askew-pendant-in-rose-gold

 

[tyty333]

That's a very sweet iidea!

I dont know what your priorities are but I'll throw a few out...then you can let us know where you want to go with it...

At the bigger end
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...j-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-3416190

An I...
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...i-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-3366642

Higher color
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...h-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-3400355

With the setting you've picked out I think a .5-.6ish stone would probably look the best. I think when you start getting up into .7
that they look better in solitaires or halos (my opinion...feel free to ignore )

If you dont like any of the settings that James Allen has you can use a local jeweler. They should have access to stuller settings
https://www.stuller.com/search/results/?query=round+pendant

 

[whitewave]

I would guess the most popular pendant here is the Barbara by Brian Gavin, but it is likely out of your price range. (I haven't checked)

 

[Gussie]

That is so sweet of you! Contact IDJ and see what they can do in your price range. They have several settings for solitaire pendants. I like the bezel one! Ask for a ps quality stone.

 

[metall]

Jewels By Grace has a heart shaped stone in a bezel pendant in your price range.

http://www.jewelsbygrace.com/48ct-diamond-shaped-askew-pendant-in-rose-gold

Thank you so much for the suggestion, but i think that that I would like to stick with a white gold setting like the one pictured above. I am open to fancy shapes but I think it would have to be oval, pear, or square....my mom is a bit old fashioned and I think your suggestion is a bit modern for her.

 

[whitewave]

Thank you so much for the suggestion, but i think that that I would like to stick with a white gold setting like the one pictured above. I am open to fancy shapes but I think it would have to be oval, pear, or square....my mom is a bit old fashioned and I think your suggestion is a bit modern for her.

Not a problem! I had recently seen it, so I threw it out there.

Check blue nile also

 

[metall]

That's a very sweet iidea!

I dont know what your priorities are but I'll throw a few out...then you can let us know where you want to go with it...

At the bigger end
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...j-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-3416190

An I...
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...i-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-3366642

Higher color
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...h-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-3400355

With the setting you've picked out I think a .5-.6ish stone would probably look the best. I think when you start getting up into .7
that they look better in solitaires or halos (my opinion...feel free to ignore )

If you dont like any of the settings that James Allen has you can use a local jeweler. They should have access to stuller settings
https://www.stuller.com/search/results/?query=round+pendant

Hi ty,

Thank you for taking the time out to show some suggestions. I would have to see the stone in person as I'm not quite sure what the size difference between a .5, .6, .7 (looking at my measuring tape for the difference between .5 of a mm was not so helpful ) Though from what I've been able to ascertain right around 5.5mm seems to be a sweet spot.

I am not opposed to a halo setting, though you are right, it would look prettier with a bit of a bigger stone, which might put the pendant as a whole out of my price range.

Personally I am bit color sensitive (I was given a J e-ring which....story for another time) though i'm not so sure about my mom since she's never really had something like this. Between the H and I, is a bit of a toss up for me, since personally I can still see the color, but I'm wondering if that has to do with the magnification of the diamond as well.

Clarity wise, it's surprising to me but I thought that the H was the most eye clean, only because the VS1 of the I has what appears to be a surface crack at around the 7/8 o'clock position which can be seen when it tilts...

I'm not sure if that helps to narrow down what i'm looking for, or for you all to help me narrow down what i'm searching for. I am going to do a bit of a search myself later tonight (when i'm not on my break on my cellphone) and maybe someone could give me some opinions about the diamonds i choose?

Thank you, thank you for your help!

 

[metall]

I would guess the most popular pendant here is the Barbara by Brian Gavin, but it is likely out of your price range. (I haven't checked)

Hi White Wave,

Barbara is right at the top of my budget but doable (dependent on the diamond of course). The problem comes back to what my mom would like. I was thinking of something that dangles as that seems the most traditional. She pretty regularly wears a silver coin pendant which is why I was leaning that way. Maybe one day when my money tree grows a bit I'll think of Barbara for myself.

 

[whitewave]

Hi White Wave,

Barbara is right at the top of my budget but doable (dependent on the diamond of course). The problem comes back to what my mom would like. I was thinking of something that dangles as that seems the most traditional. She pretty regularly wears a silver coin pendant which is why I was leaning that way. Maybe one day when my money tree grows a bit I'll think of Barbara for myself.

You and me both, sista! Barbara is lovely.

It sounds like you are looking for the traditional double bale four prong pendant which means you can maximize the diamond size for your budget.

 

[metall]

That is so sweet of you! Contact IDJ and see what they can do in your price range. They have several settings for solitaire pendants. I like the bezel one! Ask for a ps quality stone.

What/Who is IDJ? haha feeling the extra newbie having to ask that, but I don't think i've seen that acronym spelt out anywhere.

Speaking of places to look for stones....has anyone tried out rarecarat? I've done a bit of snooping on the search engineand i'm not sure what to make of the diamonds that the search engine finds since it seems a bit pricier than some of the quotes i see here.

 

[whitewave]

ID Jewelry in New York.

Also, for fun and maybe a hit, check out the super idea diamonds at high performance diamonds.

 

[metall]

ID Jewelry in New York.

Also, for fun and maybe a hit, check out the super idea diamonds at high performance diamonds.

NY as in diamond district NYC or is this just a company based somewhere in NY state? If it's in the diamond district....i work about 10 minutes walk away. Sounds like i'm going on a school trip tomorrow for lunch.

 

[bmfang]

NY as in diamond district NYC or is this just a company based somewhere in NY state? If it's in the diamond district....i work about 10 minutes walk away. Sounds like i'm going on a school trip tomorrow for lunch.

IDJ is in NYC’s diamond district. Yekutiel has done wonders with maximising bang for buck for many folks who’ve gone to see him. So looks like you’re going to be on an excursion!

 

[tyty333]

So these are stones on rings but will help to give you a relative size feeling. They are on a size 6 finger with the shank (ring) being 2mm.

This shows the difference between a .5 and a .6 stone

This shows a .6 and .7 stone

And this shows the difference between a .5 and a .7 stone

 

[metall]

IDJ is in NYC’s diamond district. Yekutiel has done wonders with maximising bang for buck for many folks who’ve gone to see him. So looks like you’re going to be on an excursion!

Indeed I am...though I'm thinking i need to pause and do more research before running over there and impulse buying something. I was lurking in on other posts where I realized I am Jon Snow....i know nothing, at least regarding what is considered a good cut or an ideal cut...so many percentages.

Though I did start doing a little bitty browsing Just to see what's out there of course....could any PSers provide me with some opinions on the below diamonds?

https://diamondsdirect.com/loose-diamond?stock=801468&utm_source=rarecarat&utm_medium=cpc

https://www.jamesallen.com/mobile/l...i-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-3262784

https://idjewelry.com/diamondsearch/diamond/

Hmmmm....the idjewelry diamond may only be a stock image...but the sku is KI10235.

Please let me know if I'm at least going in the right direction...

 

[metall]

So these are stones on rings but will help to give you a relative size feeling. They are on a size 6 finger with the shank (ring) being 2mm.

This shows the difference between a .5 and a .6 stone

This shows a .6 and .7 stone

And this shows the difference between a .5 and a .7 stone

Ok....this makes a lot more sense....personally I'm leaning towards the .6...though not opposed to the .7 if the color is right. Now I'm wondering if .5 might be too small for a decent sized pendant since it would be a single stone. Would anyone have a single stone .5 pendant they wouldnt mind modelling for me? I'd like to get a feel of how it would look on the neck....

 

[tyty333]

Ok, you're ready for the cheat sheet of well cut stones...

depth 60-62.3%
table 54-58%
crown 34-35 sometimes 35.5 degrees works too with the right pavilion
pavilion 40.6-41 degrees
(34 goes best with 41 pavilion and 35.5 crown would go best with lower pavilion 40.6)

you can use the HCA tool to give you a quick evaluation...any stone that scores 2 or under is worth further investigation.
There are stones that fall outside of the 2 range that are still nice stones.
https://www.pricescope.com/tools/hca

I think if you are going for a single solitaire (which is popular right now) then a .6ish or bigger would be nice. I have a .5ish pendant (Super Ideal J/Si1)
but is in a pendant that has flowers with it. For me, it would be too small to stand alone. The overall length of the pendant is 3/4 of an inch. I guess
it might depend on your mother's size. I'm not petite so it doesnt work for me. My other single solitaire pendant that works fine as a stand alone is
6.3mm.

Here is the 6.3mm pendant. I know this doesnt give you a very good real-life size estimate but might be better then nothing.


Ok, I just took this to help give you a real life size but its not that great...hopefully someone with better photos will come along.

 

[metall]

Ok, you're ready for the cheat sheet of well cut stones...

depth 60-62.3%
table 54-58%
crown 34-35 sometimes 35.5 degrees works too with the right pavilion
pavilion 40.6-41 degrees
(34 goes best with 41 pavilion and 35.5 crown would go best with lower pavilion 40.6)

you can use the HCA tool to give you a quick evaluation...any stone that scores 2 or under is worth further investigation.
There are stones that fall outside of the 2 range that are still nice stones.
https://www.pricescope.com/tools/hca

I think if you are going for a single solitaire (which is popular right now) then a .6ish or bigger would be nice. I have a .5ish pendant (Super Ideal J/Si1)
but is in a pendant that has flowers with it. For me, it would be too small to stand alone. The overall length of the pendant is 3/4 of an inch. I guess
it might depend on your mother's size. I'm not petite so it doesnt work for me. My other single solitaire pendant that works fine as a stand alone is
6.3mm.

Here is the 6.3mm pendant. I know this doesnt give you a very good real-life size estimate but might be better then nothing.


Ok, I just took this to help give you a real life size but its not that great...hopefully someone with better photos will come along.

Thank you so much for the pictures! Both of your pendants are gorgeous! 6.3mm - may be way out of my price range, though I do have until December so my magic unicorn COULD pop up.

Using the HCA tool and the three stones i posted....

The Diamond Direct - not enough information for me to us HCA though I think that it is cut very very deep.

The JA diamond hits a sweet spot at 1.8 - but i'm wondering about a huge black spot right on the table where it really can't be hidden...

IDJ - also not enough information but the diamond doesn't even fall within the range you mentioned....

Seems I'm off to the drawing board again.

Thank you ty.

ETA: my mom is petite in the sense that she is very short....but she does have a wider frame, so i'm wondering if i go up to a .8, whether I could save a bit of money by going cheaper on the setting...my top budget for the whole thing is right around 2k, which is why I had a top budget of 1.5k for the diamond...

 

[metall]

Hi all,

Just some potential options that I was looking at when poking through the interwebs today...If anyone could give me their opinions on the below options, I would really love to learn how PSer's would go about narrowing down from here. (if I even picked good diamonds that is )

Option 1: would the dark spot right under the table be very dark and noticable? Hca - 1.5
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3855454.htm?source=pricescope

Option 2: this is a bit cleaner....but still looks like it has something very dark under the table HCA 1.8
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3328818.htm?source=pricescope

Option 3: HCA 1.5...i'm a bit worried that this cloudy looking from the 360
https://www.adiamor.com/Diamonds/0.63-ct-J-VS2-Excellent-Cut-Round-Diamond/D40794682

Option 4: HCA 1.6 Any thoughts on what appears to be a crack at 3 o clock?
https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD08825495

Option 5: HCA 1.6 Thinking I like this one best...so far
https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD08052294

Option 6 HCA 1.2 - 2nd best
https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD09129891

Option 7: 1.9 - love this one but will it be too small?
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...i-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-3347975

Option 8: HCA 1.8 maybe #3 on my list
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...i-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-2680301

 

[PintoBean]

Leave your wallet at home and go to IDJ. Call in advance and tell Yekutiel you're a pricescoper looking for a diamond that fits the usual PS parameters that we search under and what your budget is.

 

[Lookinagain]

[QUOTE="Would anyone have a single stone .5 pendant they wouldnt mind modelling for me? I'd like to get a feel of how it would look on the neck....[/QUOTE]

have you looked at this thread?
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/show-me-your-diamond-pendant.151094/

 

[metall]

Leave your wallet at home and go to IDJ. Call in advance and tell Yekutiel you're a pricescoper looking for a diamond that fits the usual PS parameters that we search under and what your budget is.

I definitely plan to do this in the next week or so. In the meantime, before I go I wanted to see if my personal picks would meet PS criteria. Hopefully it would make it easier to narrow down what characteristics I would look for when I start seriously looking in person. But if this is not a good idea, I could make an appointment for sometime this weekend or early next week before I start hunting again.

Thank you for your input!!

 

[metall]

[QUOTE="Would anyone have a single stone .5 pendant they wouldnt mind modelling for me? I'd like to get a feel of how it would look on the neck....

have you looked at this thread?
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/show-me-your-diamond-pendant.151094/[/QUOTE]

Yes I did see this....and now i'm dying for one of my own....but mommy first! Most of the diamonds I saw posted were MUCH MUCH larger than I would be able to afford at this time, maybe if i'm really good at work I'll get a nice bonus to put towards something like this...

 

[scarsmum]

https://www.idonowidont.com/jewelry/elegant-067-ct-oval-shaped-diamond-pendant-14k-white-gold
If you would consider preloved we may be able to find some suggestions but you would need to check on the stones stats. I came across the one above.

 

[metall]

https://www.idonowidont.com/jewelry/elegant-067-ct-oval-shaped-diamond-pendant-14k-white-gold
If you would consider preloved we may be able to find some suggestions but you would need to check on the stones stats. I came across the one above.

Oooo I didn't even think of prepared. I would totally be open to preowned stone, I would imagine it won't be terribly hard to have it reset.... I will message the seller to see if I can learn more about the stone.

Thank you!

 

[scarsmum]

Oooo I didn't even think of prepared. I would totally be open to preowned stone, I would imagine it won't be terribly hard to have it reset.... I will message the seller to see if I can learn more about the stone.

Thank you!

Youre not doing great on the price on this one if you don't want the setting. But worth looking around maybe.

 

[whitewave]

This is my original .75 engagement stone. I only add it since this is the size range you are looking in. Ilya made the setting and he is at Ivy and Rose.

 

[JLW05]

This is my .55 diamond in a tension setting. The photos don't do it justice (I'm a terrible photographer) but they will give you another idea about how to set a small diamond.

 

[JLW05]