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Diamond Selection Help

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mikes_2380

Rough_Rock
Joined
Feb 9, 2014
Messages
3
Hello everyone,
I recently entered the engagement ring shopping process and as everyone knows it can be a little overwhelming for someone new. I've done a lot of reading online and also browsed through this forum which contains excellent information.
After reading some suggestions on this website and knowing the type of jewelery my girlfriend likes I've come up with some characteristics of a suitable ring I would like to purchase:
Budget: $7000 (Approximately)
Ring: RITANI French-Set Halo Diamond Band Engagement Ring (Current option but open to suggestion)
http://www.ritani.com/engagement-rings/french-set-halo-diamond-band-engagement-ring-in-platinum/4973
My issue comes with selecting the diamond for this ring since I am unsure which carat size would best fit this ring and I am also unsure on few of the diamond characteristics. My thoughts were somewhere between 0.8-0.85 carat and these are a few I looked at:
1. http://www.ritani.com/diamonds/round-diamond-0-82-Carat-E-color-GIA-certified/D-D2PV0Q
2. http://www.bluenile.com/ca/diamond-search?pt=setform&track=NavDiaSeaRD#diamonds_pid=LD03983391
3. http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3035796.htm
Those are just some I looked at but there are so many choices and its really hard for me to decide what the most adequate diamond would be. If someone could provide me with any advice regarding this it would be greatly appreciated. Please feel free to ask any questions if anything needs to be cleared up.
Thank you all in advance.
 
No question, go with the whiteflash diamond and ritani setting. Cut is king, and the WF diamond is the best performer. The WF expert selection is known for having better than the average diamond light performance. There are also several images of the diamond available for you to view and that diamond had to go through additional testing to make it to WF's "expert selection" criteria. I believe WF can set the diamond for you in the Ritani setting (better than having to buy the diamond loose and then ship it around or take it to another jeweler).

The blue nile has an SI2 - if you haven't seen the diamond in-person yet, then there might be a visible inclusion. Not all SI2s are eye-clean. The Ritani - has a VG cut quality, not as good as the BN or WF. If you want to perform more analysis on the BN and Ritani diamonds go to "tools" at the top of pricescope and use the HCA and AGA cut class tools (you will need the reports for both diamonds).

Now, I don't mean to open a can of worms, but JMO,if you have a $7k budget I'd go with a lower color (still looks great) and bigger carat weight with a less expensive setting.
http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3016680.htm
http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2676059.htm
 
mikes_2380|1391974249|3611502 said:
its really hard for me to decide what the most adequate diamond would be.
Click to expand...

You don't want "adequate" - you want the best for your money. Cut is king - it's what makes the diamond sparkle, and an ideal cut stone will face up larger and whiter than a less well cut one.

If I were you, I would call WF customer service, tell them your budget and what you are looking at setting wise, and then let them help you find the best stone for you. They are very nice! And it s MUCH easier to keep everything with one vendor.
 
The entire purpose of faceting a diamond is to reflect light.
How well or how poorly a diamond does this determines how beautiful it is.
How well a diamond performs is determined by the angles and cutting. This is why we say cut is king.
No other factor: not color, not clarity has as much of an impact on the appearance of a diamond as its cut. An ideal H will out white a poorly cut F. And GIA Ex is not enough.
So how to we ensure that we have the right angles and cutting to get the light performance we want?
https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/diamonds/diamond-cut
Well one method is to start with a GIA Ex, and then apply the HCA to it.
https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/diamonds/holloway-cut-advisor
The HCA is a rejection tool. Not a selection tool. It uses 4 data points to make a rudimentary call on how the diamond may perform.
If the diamond passes then you know that you are in the right zone in terms of angles for light performance.
Is that enough? Not really.
So what you need is a way to check actual light performance of your actual stone.
That's what an idealscope image does. https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/diamonds/firescope-idealscope
It shows you how and wear your diamond is reflecting light, how well it is going at it, and where you are losing light return. That is why you won't see us recommending Blue Nile, as they do not provide idealscope images for their diamonds. James Allen and WF do.

The Idealscope is the 'selection tool'. Not the HCA.
So yes, with a GIA stone you need the idealscope images. Or you can buy an idealscope yourself and take it in to the jeweler you are working with to check the stones yourself. Or if you have a good return policy (full refund minimum 7 days) then you can buy the idealscope, buy the stone, and do it at home.


Now if you want to skip all that... stick to AGS0 stones and then all you have to do is pick color and clarity and you know you have a great performing diamond. Because AGS has already done the checking for you. That's why they trade at a premium.
 
Thank you guys a lot for your feedback, its greatly appreciated.
therese13 what you are saying does make sense and I will most likely go with this option. My only issue is that I haven't been able to find a setting that i like as much as that one.I will get in touch with WF and see what they can do for me, I'm sure they are able to accommodate pretty much anything. Worst case scenario I go with the Ritani setting.
Gypsy:
Thank you for that information, the images provided on WF really do mean a lot for someone like me since they provide a simple visual performance of the diamond. They are also good enough for me to make a decision on the diamond I want.
 
Looks great to me!
 
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