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Engagement ring help (2 carat+)

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confusedguy

Rough_Rock
Joined
Apr 30, 2012
Messages
2
Hi all,

I have been looking for engagement ring for a while now and have asked a few independent diamond dealers and jewelers for quotes on a 2-2.05 carat, E color, VVS1/2, Triple Excellent (GIA standards) and no florescence round diamond. (My gf is very diamond savvy so I want to get the best I could possibly afford for her)

The cheapest price I have received so far is around USD 66k - does it sound reasonable? All the stones have table of around 57-59% - unfortunately I am not a diamond expert so I didnt take note of the other measurements, which I found out today from the HCA tool that they do make a big difference!

I have also looked around on the web to compare prices and they can be quite different even with the above parameters, for example:

http://www.eternitydiamonds.com/2.02-E-VVS2-Excellent-Cut-Round-Diamond-GIA-2135892354/ds-603079/
http://www.eternitydiamonds.com/2.05-E-VVS1-Excellent-Cut-Round-Diamond-GIA-2126483726/ds-614907/

for USD 4k more I can get a 2.4 carat:

http://www.eternitydiamonds.com/diamond_detail.php?id=652166&ref=pricescope

while this is USD 6k less:

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/E-VVS2-Very%20Good-Cut-Round-Diamond-1437275.asp

Given that there is this huge price differential even with this defined set of parameters - how best to know whether I am getting the most out of my money (and not paying too much)?

Also how reliable are these online diamond dealers?

Thanks,
Confused guy
 
Just a thought....you mentioned that your gf is diamond savvy as are the people on this forum, but that doesn't mean that we all buy colorless flawless diamonds. You can get a diamond that is G color VS1 clarity and it can look every bit as white, bright and flawless to the naked eye as an EF VVS1 or 2, and save yourself a lot of money or increase the carat weight of the stone.

Just another thought, many of us thought that we were a bit more savvy than others before we came on this forum and realized that we knew almost nothing about what makes a diamond beautiful. This certainly may not be the case for your girlfriend, I'm not suggesting that, but it's something to consider.

The most important characteristic of a diamond is it's cut, it's going to give the stone it's amazing light performance, after that it's very subjective. Some prefer icy white colorless stone, others prefer to have some warmth. Some need a 'mind clean' stone with higher clarity, others are more than happy with a stone that is visually clean. And of course you or yor gf may be ones that want both a colorless and flawless stone.

There are many great people on here that will be more than happy to make recommendations based on your wants and needs. Did you have a specific budget in mind? Will you be purchasing online?
 
Thanks for the quick response. I agree with all your points - though when I asked her for the same price, whether she would prefer a bigger stone of lower quality or a good quality smaller stone, she said she would prefer the latter. (And I always thought the bigger the better when it comes to diamonds!) I am sure she would be happy with whatever I buy for her but I want to go the extra step - after all she is going to wear that ring for the rest of her life! She definitely wants a round colorless diamond because I got one of her friends to help ask the probing questions (didn't want to get the most basic thing wrong!)

I am trying to keep it below $70k and want it to be at least E / VVS2 and no florescence. I would prefer not to buy it online given that it is a significant sum of money, though I may if I can get a much better deal online.
 
confusedguy|1335783139|3183875 said:
Thanks for the quick response. I agree with all your points - though when I asked her for the same price, whether she would prefer a bigger stone of lower quality or a good quality smaller stone, she said she would prefer the latter. (And I always thought the bigger the better when it comes to diamonds!) I am sure she would be happy with whatever I buy for her but I want to go the extra step - after all she is going to wear that ring for the rest of her life! She definitely wants a round colorless diamond because I got one of her friends to help ask the probing questions (didn't want to get the most basic thing wrong!)

I am trying to keep it below $70k and want it to be at least E / VVS2 and no florescence. I would prefer not to buy it online given that it is a significant sum of money, though I may if I can get a much better deal online.
Click to expand...

Quality does not equal color/clarity, quality equals excellent cut, which is what Christina was getting at. Just because something is G/VS2 doesn't make it lower quality. If I had those kinds of bucks for a diamond, I would look for an AGS graded Ideal triple zero stone, like this: http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/8175/ (and Good Old Gold has a store front near NYC, so if you wanted to go and purchase in person, you could, however, PS recommended vendors are trustworthy with such large sums of money, and you will most likely pay a much lower price for a much better diamond than you would in a bricks & mortar store).
 
PLEASE don't sacrifice on cut quality! An ideal cut will face up whiter than an average or poorly cut stone of the same color. True!

And as has been said, color and clarity does not equal higher quality. CUT quality (and I don't mean the shape of the stone) = higher quality. You could go with a G easily, and slip down a few clarity grades (VS are likely eye clean, although at that size you should check with the vendor).

The vendors here can provide MUCH more information about cut quality and they can look at the stone for you. You can always have the stone shipped to you for inspection and even return it if it is not to your liking. The vendors here deal with large amounts of money for diamonds all the time and will not risk their reputations by providing "shady" service. I've dealt with Good Old Gold several times, and have returned stones that were not to my liking several times and have had no problems at all.

And fluorescence is nothing to be afraid of - many of us love it and will actively seek it out!
 
 
I think most people here define quality by what diamond will look best to the naked eye. The cut is the absolute most important thing for determining a diamond's beauty. And like others have said, a well-cut diamond will face up whiter. Many people here don't want to pay more for characteristics that they won't be able to see and appreciate with the naked eye, which is why a lot of us go for diamonds that are "eye clean." The clarity of a diamond doesn't have much impact on the brilliance of a diamond from my understanding unless the inclusions are large--like a large cloud (something you might find in an SI2 or lower clarity) and/or the fluorescence is very strong. If you get a VS1 or VS2 diamond, the clarity won't affect the diamond's brilliance (but as mentioned earlier, you'll want to double-check that the diamond is eye clean since you're buying a larger size). As others have also said, a G color is still colorless. It may be that your gf defines quality the same as here--in other words, a diamond that is lovely to the naked eye.

Some people do want to pay extra for "mind clean" flawless and colorless diamonds, and this may be what's right for you. We just want to make sure you understand that it won't be a visual difference (only mental/symbolic).

Hope that helps and happy diamond hunting! :)
 
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