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Engagement Ring Advice

Q

Quantic

Rough_Rock
Joined
Dec 2, 2010
Messages
3
Hi Everyone,

I am in the process of looking for an Engagement ring for my girlfriend. Until now I have never bought a diamond and would like some advice if thats possible. I have found a nice ring which is a solitaire round cut, 0.25cts, D colour and IF clarity, I have always been of the opinion that I prefer to get something smaller but better quality, but I am wondering if there is actually any point in getting a IF ring, is the difference noticeable? The colour however is important to me, as I have seen a lot of rings that looked yellow and thought they where not for me.

Realistically, what is the difference between a say a SI1 and IF ring, in real world terms is it going to be noticable? Does it effect how the ring looks to the eye? I find it very difficult to shop online for ideas as all of the rings featured are 1+cts, so it makes it difficult to visualise what the ring would look like with a 0.25/0.3/0.5ct stone.

Does anyone have a 0.25 or 0.3 solitaire ring that I can have a look at, perhaps post some pictures. Is there anything else I should consider before buying?

Thank you (I hope this is posted in the right section)
 
Generally there would not be an obvious difference between an eye-clean stone and an internally flawless stone. It depends a bit on the type of inclusion and their location whether it impacts the light performance of the stone, but generally there is no reason to go IF unless only having a flawless stone is the only way it is "mind clean" to you.

The performance of the stone depends firstly on the cut-- a poor cut D/IF will not look as good as an ideal cut I/VS2.

Unless she's a gemologist, she won't notice the difference between an IF and anything in the VS range even if she stared at the ring up very close, and you can get more diamond for the money if you avoid the IF range and higher colors like D.
 
Quantic|1291287800|2784980 said:
Hi Everyone,

I am in the process of looking for an Engagement ring for my girlfriend. Until now I have never bought a diamond and would like some advice if thats possible. I have found a nice ring which is a solitaire round cut, 0.25cts, D colour and IF clarity, I have always been of the opinion that I prefer to get something smaller but better quality, but I am wondering if there is actually any point in getting a IF ring, is the difference noticeable? The colour however is important to me, as I have seen a lot of rings that looked yellow and thought they where not for me.

Realistically, what is the difference between a say a SI1 and IF ring, in real world terms is it going to be noticable? Does it effect how the ring looks to the eye? I find it very difficult to shop online for ideas as all of the rings featured are 1+cts, so it makes it difficult to visualise what the ring would look like with a 0.25/0.3/0.5ct stone.

Does anyone have a 0.25 or 0.3 solitaire ring that I can have a look at, perhaps post some pictures. Is there anything else I should consider before buying?

Thank you (I hope this is posted in the right section)
Click to expand...

Do you have a budget in mind? With a concrete $ amount, can get a better area of how to search for you.

Also, will need to know your gf's ring size in order to determine finger coverage relative to size.

Regarding your clarity question, for a diamond that size, I would be quite comfortable with a SI1, since the size of the inclusion is proportionate to the carat weight. So at that size, SI1 will have a very good chance of being eye-clean. However, you will need to check with the vendor to verify for eye-cleanliness. Another thing though, I know some people are more mind clean than eye clean. If this is the case, then maybe you will want to go with a higher clarity grade.

IMHO, I don't see any visible difference between D-F. They will all all appear colourless. Pls read the knowledge section. There are also some good videos from GoodOldGold that compares the difference. In fact, if you go down even lower in colour (e.g. G-H), the difference is barely visible. But again, you need to be comfortable with that drop in colour grading.

I don't have have any pics for a diamond that size, but you can go to the "Show Me The Bling" threads to check for reference. Also, this is the right forum for questions regarding diamond grades, cut etc.
 
Do you have a Jareds near by? Color is less visible in well cut stones so you need to make sure you are looking at well cut stones.
You might try viewing the Peerless line of diamonds at Jareds. They are well cut. Try looking at a G or H stone without having
a D/F next to it. Can you see color in it? G/H tends to be the middle ground for a white stone at a decent price. People who are
very color sensitive may want to go up to D/E/F. A lot of girls want size over high color (your GF may be different).

Also, take a look at this video that shows the relative color differences in well cut stones.

http://www.vimeo.com/3288695

As far as clarity...you might want to go middle of the road (VS). People who want a larger stone for their budget tend to go
with an eye-clean SI. People who want mind clean tend to go with VS on up.

Here is a link to a .32 solitare
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/sold/solitaire-rings/1674/Diamond-Solitaire-Engagement-Ring.html
.4
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/sold/solitaire-rings/1574/Solitaire-Ring.html
.54
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/sold/solitaire-rings/1119/Solitaire-Engagement-Rings.html
 
Realistically, what is the difference between a say a SI1 and IF ring, in real world terms is it going to be noticable? Does it effect how the ring looks to the eye?

Ok. so unless you are louping your diamond, and the inclusion do not affect the fire/sparkle/scintilation, etc... and it is eyeclean- then you will not see a difference. You will "know" that there is a difference, but in an eyeclean stone- without a loupe, you will not see a difference.

some people are "mind" clean- knowing there are not inclusion in the stone, others are "eye" clean- not being able to see the inclusion with the naked eye. ultimately you and the future FI have determine which category you fit into.
 
I believe IF means the stone is flawless to the eye under 10x magnification.

However, if you put an IF stone under 20 or 30 x magnification, it's very possible that you'll see some imperfections, albeit, really small ones.

IMO, I never put a stone under 10x or really any magnification when I'm walking around, enjoy my stone. My take has always been - if the inclusions don't affect the integrity of the stone, and I can't see it in real life, then why do I care if they're there.... plus, it'll save you a bit of money to think this way too.
 
Hi Guys,

Thanks for all of the information, will have a look over everything you have all said. To give you a bit more information, I am looking to spend around $2000 if possible, her ring size is L, the style of ring I am looking for is a 6 claw tiffany design with quite a thin white gold band.
 
tyty333|1291298294|2785022 said:
Do you have a Jareds near by? Color is less visible in well cut stones so you need to make sure you are looking at well cut stones.
You might try viewing the Peerless line of diamonds at Jareds. They are well cut. Try looking at a G or H stone without having
a D/F next to it. Can you see color in it? G/H tends to be the middle ground for a white stone at a decent price. People who are
very color sensitive may want to go up to D/E/F. A lot of girls want size over high color (your GF may be different).

Also, take a look at this video that shows the relative color differences in well cut stones.

http://www.vimeo.com/3288695

As far as clarity...you might want to go middle of the road (VS). People who want a larger stone for their budget tend to go
with an eye-clean SI. People who want mind clean tend to go with VS on up.

Here is a link to a .32 solitare
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/sold/solitaire-rings/1674/Diamond-Solitaire-Engagement-Ring.html
.4
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/sold/solitaire-rings/1574/Solitaire-Ring.html
.54
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/sold/solitaire-rings/1119/Solitaire-Engagement-Rings.html
Click to expand...

Thank you so much, that video on Vimeo is fantastic!

These are the specifications on the ring I've been looking at so far:

  • D colour diamond
    IF (Internally Flawless) clarity
    Very Good Specifications
    Nil Fluorescence
    Six Claw Tiffany Design
    Tapering shoulders

I have just spoken to them and they have said that the cut is Very Good/Ideal
 
Do you have the GIA/AGS cert number for the stone you have been looking at? It is hard to judge how well the stone is
cut without knowing the table/depth/pavilion and crown angles. How big is the stone?

Are you sure you want to stick to such strick specs? Does your GF prefer high quality over size?

I can provide you with some links that are in your budget. The setting would be around $500 leaving about $1500 for the
stone.

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/compare.aspx?idnos=2543538,2551776,2499296,2509149

If you drop down to a VVS clarity (D color) you can get something like this
http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2355077.htm

At an E/VS you can probably hit the half carat mark.
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds-search/diamonds/E-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1287671.asp /* H&A stone */
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/E-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1317149.asp

Here are 2 settings that are $350.
http://www.whiteflash.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/6-prong-tiffany-style-solitaire-engagement-ring-582.htm
http://www.whiteflash.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/4-prong-tiffany-style-solitaire-engagement-ring-587.htm
 
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