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Do I even have a chance of finding a 1ct for ~3600?

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one68

Rough_Rock
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Jan 8, 2008
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hi all.. same intro, i'm a newbie looking for a diamond for my gf. we've been together for 4.5yrs and have recently been planning the big day sometime towards the end of '08. i've been working on saving (while paying off some debt
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) now to my question(s):

-after reading and *trying to scour the forums for info (i could read for years!) i've determined that i want to stay within SI1, G-I, Round. I've been sold on the "size" factor over the others. Do I even have a chance of getting close to 1ct?

-i've perused the local jewelry marts and saw a 1ct Round today. only problem is that there are no papers. seller said that the diamond was est to be SI1,H. The diamond sure had lots of "fire" (performance?). It appeared eye-clean, as best as my amateur eyes could decipher. The price was $1800.
When asked about papers, he said it would take 2+mths and he'd have to send it to a GIA certified shop?
I saw a substantially sized cloud on the rock under the scope but couldn't see anything else; should I even consider this?

my gf's folks are in the jewelry biz and have told her that color and clarity are very important.. that she shouldn't get anything less than vs2 (*sorry, correction), I. we've talked about it and she's decided that it doesn't matter as long as it was from the heart
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i'm considering this our "starter" diamond anyway and have made a promise to myself (and her) that i'd definitely upgrade once we're in a "better" situation.

i've seen some really great advice and really appreciate the fact that a place like pricescope exists.. thanks to everyone in advance for any comments/opinions/references/advice.
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Honestly, if her folks are in the jewelry biz, then they surely know that cut is far more important than anything else.

In your budget, you can easily swing a .75 G, VS2 of exceptional cut. That would get you a great cut without straying too far from the 'expectations'. G, SI will probably get you into the low 80s with a top-shelf cut.

Use the cut quality search and you'll see some options in your budget.

Honestly, I feel that VVS is a bit much considering your desire to get close to a carat. There's no visual difference without a loupe between VVS and VS (in rare instances might see something from the side, but again, not hugely prevalent), and it would save a LOT to go into the VS2 range.
 
Can you get a 1ct for ~$3600? Yeah. Would I want to? Most likely not. Personally, there is no way I would buy a 1ct for as cheap as $1800 because no matter what they "estimate" that diamond, something in that diamond is lacking for it to be that cheap. I would be more concerned with the cut of the diamond (which will give it amazing fire) rather than hitting the 1ct mark. I would MUCH rather have a smaller excellent diamond than 1ct of frozen spit.

You can use the Pricescope your diamond tool to search the prices on some of the best diamonds!

And here is a 0.765 ct G VS2.
 
just as i''d finished typing, i realized that i probably am out of range for the 1ct... so i there a VERY noticeable difference in size btwn let''s say a 0.83 and a 1ct? sorry for the ignorance... thanks again!
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Yes, you''ll probably notice a difference in the sizes of diamond when you jump from a 1 carat to a .83--but I am very, very size sensitive. You could potentially have the diamond sent in a halo to make the diamond appear larger, if that is something you''d be interested in.

Also, if her family is in the jewelry biz...why dont you work with them? Talk about bang for your buck!
 
Yes, there is a noticeable difference between 0.8 and 1 carat. A 0.8 should be about 6 mm, and the 1 should be 6.5 mm. See this chart: http://images.amazon.com/media/i3d/01/actual-diamond-size.pdf Note the millimeter measurements of the diamonds you are looking at, and draw little circles on pieces of paper to get an idea of size.
 
If her parents have set that expectation, I would not go lower than G or H VS2. (In fact, that is the range I personally prefer as well.) If you buy from Good Old Gold or WhiteFlash, you''ll be able to trade up with 100% of what you paid going toward the next stone. Plus, you''ll get a top quality cut that will impress her and her parents.

Here are the best ones I can find with your budget:

.795 H VS2 $3241 if paid by wire/pricescope discount
http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-636722.htm

.81 G VS2 $3658 w/discounts
http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-636713.htm

.83 H VS2 $3588 (wire)
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/3833/
 
You could certainly get a lot closer to a whole carat if you were prepared to go from VS2 to SI1. There are many eyeclean SI1 stones around - and a vast number of happy SI1 owners on Pricescope.

Unless your future parents-in-law are going to study your GIA cert they probably won't be able to discriminate between VS2 and SI1 - even if they scrutinise the stone with a loupe.

Let's face it, eye clean is eye clean - and the main difference between an IF and an eyeclean SI1 once it's on the finger is just a big wad of money! (Arguably!).

There have already been many suggested stones to look at, so I'll leave you with those - but shout if you decide to include SI1s in your search and I'll have a look for you.

x xx
 
I agree. I woudln''t worry about clarity too, too much. The only stone I''ve ever seen a problem with and where you would have to go higher clarity is an emerald. I saw a vs2 emerald on Sunday and I could see the inclusion but I think that''s just a trait of that cut.
 
This might be a good one, it''s under 1 ct, but it is spready. You''d have to call and get the crown and pavillion numbers to run it through the HCA. BN 0.9 I VS2.

This may be naive of me, but I''d think that right around valentine''s day there''s probably a run on diamonds in ''magic sizes''. You may want to look around and get an idea of what size/color/clarity ranges will please you and keep up the search for a while to find that just-right stone.
 
two things that jumped out at me about your jeweler experience:

1) many diamonds will appear to have lots of sparkle in a jewelry store - they spend a lot on lighting to ensure this. the key is will the diamond have that same fire and performance in different lighting environments? see if you can bring the diamond into a back room with different lighting, and over to the window, and outside into the shade, and under the counter where the lighting is blocked.....

2) what exactly did he mean by a GIA certified shop? did he mean to a GIA LAB for true GIA certification? did he mean to a GIA independent appraiser? to a jeweler with a GIA certified gemologist on site? you can take the diamond to a GIA certified independent appraiser and for $100 have your questions about its quality answered. it certainly will not take 2 months .... depending upon the appraisers schedule my guess would be 1-2 weeks, maybe less. but understand, you will have an appraisal with the details of a diamond from this route, not a GIA lab certification. however, i would be far more comfortable with having it independently appraised (as opposed to being sent to the GIA lab for certification) than having NO information about the diamond at all!

at any rate, because it has no certification and because of the price, i would be very cautious of this diamond. something tells me the color and clarity are not what they are represented to be.

i would stick with goodoldgold, whiteflash, ERD, or pearlman''s. especially since you already know you will upgrade the diamond, and their upgrade policies are fantastic. i have not seen many B&Ms myself with policies nearly as good as theirs. plus you can rest assured you will get a diamond that is amazing in all light, and if you are willing to go down to SI1 to go up on size, you can be sure it will be eye-clean if they say it is. and if it''s not to your satisfaction, their return and upgrade policies will cover you (have to cover myself here: i''m not familiar with ERD or pearlman''s upgrade/return policy on diamonds, but they are great vendors, worth checking out.)
 
Date: 2/11/2008 1:41:25 AM
Author:one68
my gf's folks are in the jewelry biz and have told her that color and clarity are very important.
Click to expand...
Pricescopers almost always recommend against getting a diamond from a "friend of the family" because almost always the price and quality aren't as good as what you can get shopping here - regardless of how good a deal or nice a diamond the friend of the family says they can get.

However in this particular case, since her folks are in the business, I'd seriously think about asking them to help you out and to work with their daughter make the tradeoff size vs. color vs. clarity. Give them a budget, request an AGSL ideal (loose stone not set), and ask for some sort of trade-up policy. Though not to save money because it probably won't
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but I anticipate some second guessing on everyone's part otherwise.
 
what about this one for $3250 with PS discount

0.91 carat, I SI1
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-SI1-Premium-Cut-Round-Diamond-1114621.asp?b=16&a=12&c=77&cid=131
 
Thought I''d just throw one in FYI..

Link:

0.92cts, I SI1, GIA cert, Cut: VG, Pol: Ex:, Sym: VG

Scores 0.8 (Excellent) on HCA with Ex/Ex/Ex/VG for Light Return, Fire, Scintillation & Spread.

$3649 and getting preeeeetty close to an entire carat.

x x x
 
You most certainly can find a beautifully cut stone in that price range if you go down in color and clarity. You need to do your diamond research so you know what you are comfortable with. If you get an AGS 0-Ideal cut just under 1 ct you will stay within you budget. For example, there is .93 I I1 for $2636 on the Infinity website (they are cutters) that you can purchase from Winfield's. An ideal cut will make the lower color less noticeable. If you are considering upgrading ask about the vendors' upgrade policy and also consider putting this stone into a pendant sometime in the future.

And it wouldn't hurt to call some of the PS respected vendors, tell them your budget and see what they have in stock. Good luck.
 
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