engagement ring shopping - opinions on these diamonds?

[sparklybunny]

Hi! I''m new to the forum and to diamond shopping.

My SO and I are planning on getting engaged soon and we''ve ring shopping and I''ve been doing a lot of internet research. I feel like we would be a better deal for a diamond online than in most of the jewelery stores in are area however it''s so hard b/c most online stores you cannot see the actual diamond before purchasing - this worries me a little.

Our budget is about $5,000-6,000. And I''m basically looking at radiant or maybe princess cut stones,1.3-15 carats and I''m not too worried about color (so long as it''s not too noticable) and I''d like a good cut. I''m not sure if all these things are options with our budget though.

I''ve been looking at different online stores and these are a few diamonds that I''ve found that I might be interested in purchasing. Could you let me know what you think of these?

1.60-Carat Radiant-Cut Diamond
Price: $5,642
Color: J
Clarity: SI1
Depth %: 64.6%
Table %: 73%
Polish: Very good
Girdle: Thin to medium
Culet: None
Fluorescence: Strong blue
Measurements: 7.64 x 6.30 x 4.07 mm
Length/width ratio: 1.21


1.30-Carat Radiant-Cut Diamond
Price: $5,098
Color: I
Clarity: VS2
Depth %: 69.9%
Table %: 65%
Polish: Very good
Girdle: Extremely thin to slightly thick
Culet: None
Fluorescence: None
Measurements: 6.88 x 5.74 x 4.01 mm
Length/width ratio: 1.20

1.32-Carat Princess-Cut Diamond
Price: $6,788
Carat weight: 1.32
Color: I
Clarity: VS1
Depth %: 67.2%
Table %: 71%
Polish: Very good
Girdle: Medium
Culet: None
Fluorescence: None
Measurements: 6.21 x 6.09 x 4.09 mm
Crown height: 9.7%
Length/width ratio: 1.02


Are J color diamonds really noticable do you think? Even if it has medium/strong blue fluorescence?

Thanks for any feedback you can give me. I really appreciate it.

 

[belle]

welcome to ps spraklybunny

Date: 3/12/2007 11:50:01 AM
Author:sparklybunny

I feel like we would be a better deal for a diamond online than in most of the jewelery stores in are area however it''s so hard b/c most online stores you cannot see the actual diamond before purchasing - this worries me a little.

there are very good vendors that will give you a good amount of information, including pictures, to make an informed decision. there''s really not any reason to take a risk going with someone that doesn''t provide adequate info.

Date: 3/12/2007 11:50:01 AM
Author:sparklybunny

Our budget is about $5,000-6,000. And I''m basically looking at radiant or maybe princess cut stones,1.3-15 carats and I''m not too worried about color (so long as it''s not too noticable) and I''d like a good cut. I''m not sure if all these things are options with our budget though.

if you want a sparkly, lively stone, look for a really well cut diamond. with your budget, you can get a really well cut diamond that is a little above 1ct. you might be able to get more carat weight but you will really be sacraficing performance.

Date: 3/12/2007 11:50:01 AM
Author:sparklybunny

1.60-Carat Radiant-Cut Diamond
Price: $5,642
Color: J
Clarity: SI1
Depth %: 64.6%
Table %: 73%
Polish: Very good
Girdle: Thin to medium
Culet: None
Fluorescence: Strong blue
Measurements: 7.64 x 6.30 x 4.07 mm
Length/width ratio: 1.21

what lab graded this diamond? how thin is the ''thin'' part of the girdle and where? does the strong blue show any adverse effects? do you like the ratio?

Date: 3/12/2007 11:50:01 AM
Author:sparklybunny

1.30-Carat Radiant-Cut Diamond
Price: $5,098
Color: I
Clarity: VS2
Depth %: 69.9%
Table %: 65%
Polish: Very good
Girdle: Extremely thin to slightly thick
Culet: None
Fluorescence: None
Measurements: 6.88 x 5.74 x 4.01 mm
Length/width ratio: 1.20

the extremely thin to slightly thick girdle is pretty ......extreme.

Date: 3/12/2007 11:50:01 AM
Author:sparklybunny

1.32-Carat Princess-Cut Diamond
Price: $6,788
Carat weight: 1.32
Color: I
Clarity: VS1
Depth %: 67.2%
Table %: 71%
Polish: Very good
Girdle: Medium
Culet: None
Fluorescence: None
Measurements: 6.21 x 6.09 x 4.09 mm
Crown height: 9.7%
Length/width ratio: 1.02

this is probably this better one of the bunch by the numbers and it''s still a little scary

it''s shallow with a low crown...not a good combo usually.

Date: 3/12/2007 11:50:01 AM
Author:sparklybunny

Are J color diamonds really noticable do you think? Even if it has medium/strong blue fluorescence?

well cut ''j'' color diamonds look great. not so well cut ''j'' color (even ''h'' and ''i''!) don''t look so great. when you have a well cut diamond, it SPARKLES so you don''t notice the color. with the mediocre cuts, the body of the diamond doesn''t have any sparkle to it, so you notice the color.

try using this search http://www.pricescope.com/sift.aspx for finding diamond candidates

 

[sparklybunny]

Thanks for all the info Belle.

The diamonds I posted all are GIA graded. I actually didn't see a picture of any of them though. I like seeing a picture of the diamonds. Some that pricescope have found have pictures and some do not but I will definatley keep looking.

Thanks so much for all your help!! I really appreciate it. I'm going to keep searching and find a really good cut stone - that's most important to me.

 

[jaz464]

For me, in a fancy cut, J is just too low. I like icy white and J will not provide this. If you are not that picky about color, you may be just fine with with a J. I would look at SI1 or SI2 to get the most bang for your buck. These can be eye clean. Check with the vendor about individual diamonds.

Also, with a princess or radiant, I would want to see it first. I would consider a vendor who will send the diamond out to an independent appraiser before you buy (or decide not to) so you can have a chance to view the diamond. You will not have to pay for the diamond but shipping costs are usually your responsibility if you decide not to buy it.

 

[sparklybunny]

Thanks Jazmine! I am looking for icy white so I guess I will take J''s out of my consideration.

I also had no idea that some vendors will send stones to an appraiser so that I could look at them. That would be wonderful. thank you again for your information - this will really help.

 

[kcoursolle]

Number 1 table is too big, and as mentioned above radiants show more color than other stones.

Number two worries me because of the extremely thin girdle. The other numbers look ok, but if you are considering this stone I''d have it appraised before set to make sure there aren''t any durability issues with the girdle and a possibility of chipping.

Number three....I don''t know anything about princesses unfortunately, so I can''t help out here.

In general, radiants are tough and images really help assess the stone. I like radants with depths and tables around 60-65%.

 

[sparklybunny]

Thanks kcorsolle for your imput.

I think I''ll keep looking b/c after the comments on these stones I think I really need to see some of these stones in person. I''ll keep in mind that I should look for stones with table and depth of 60-65%.

Now that I have more info I think I''ll ask my SO to take me to some places that have radiant cuts to see how they look and I''ll try to contact some of the online diamond sellers to see who might ship them to independent appraiser.

 

[sparklybunny]

EDIT to ask:

Does anyone know any online jewlers that would actually send some stones to an independent appraiser so that I could take a look at some before purchasing them?

Thanks again for any info! This has been a wonderful place to get honest opinions. I reallllly appreciate all the help.