engagement ring -

[dwdiamond]

Hello all,

I am looking for an engagement ring, solitaire round cut diamond. From the research I have done, I prefer cut and clarity - the perfectionist in me is bothered by inclusions that I can see in magnifications, even if it is eye-clean. The ring size will be 5, the finger is small, but not slender.

My budget is around $5000 CAD ($3800 USD). Any feedback or suggestions are welcome, I have narrowed some down at James Allen:

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/?CaratFrom=0.75&CaratTo=0.95&Color=G,F&Clarity=VVS2&Cut=Ideal,Excellent&PriceFrom=3500.00&PriceTo=5000.00&Sort=Price%20desc,%20DefaultOrder&ViewsOptions=Images&TabSelected=3&DiamondID=615044,557120,449776

Thanks in advance

DW

 

[mrs-b]

DW - Here's the bets of the bunch from JA in your price range (I searched 3600 - 4200). I searched F/G, VVS2 with ideal stats. There were a LOT of stones that I would not consider to have ideal stats. As for True Hearts - your budget won't stretch to it with the size you're after. However, the one I'm linking you to has True Hearts stats as well as VERY good spread. It also gets a .8 on the HCA. This combination is a bit of a 'find'. It's $3790 - and a .76ct G VVS2 triple ex.

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.76-carat-g-color-vvs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-430638

However one thing to think about....

You can get some beautiful, VERY clean diamonds of larger size if you drop the parameters of something you won't even see. And your fiancee to be might be far more interested in the size she CAN see on her finger, rather than the inclusions she can't. To that end, I would consider *this* stone:

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.90-carat-h-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-660529

This is a beautifully clear stone with a gorgeous color and excellent stats. And it would be visibly larger on her finger.

From reading posts from thousands of men looking for diamonds, it seems to me that it's generally men who want the internally flawless stone, while what women want is more of a balance of attributes which also allows them to buy a larger stone. In the final analysis, it has to be proportional to her finger, and THAT will be perhaps its most obvious feature, not some inclusions that might come up under 100x magnification.

Good luck!

 

[dwdiamond]

Hi Mrs. Blop,

Thanks for your reply!

Regarding SKU#660529, I am weary of the IGI certification and that this diamond really "sticks out" at 0.90 carat with this price. The colour seems more yellow to my eye as well.


I have reduced my parameters to VS1 and H and found this with a excellent HCA score, would like any feedback:
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.80-carat-h-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-566350

DW

 

[tyty333]

Hi Mrs. Blop,

Thanks for your reply!

Regarding SKU#660529, I am weary of the IGI certification and that this diamond really "sticks out" at 0.90 carat with this price. The colour seems more yellow to my eye as well.


I have reduced my parameters to VS1 and H and found this with a excellent HCA score, would like any feedback:
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.80-carat-h-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-566350

DW

Numbers look good. You could request an idealscope image to double check it.

 

[mrs-b]

Hi Mrs. Blop,

Thanks for your reply!

Regarding SKU#660529, I am weary of the IGI certification and that this diamond really "sticks out" at 0.90 carat with this price. The colour seems more yellow to my eye as well.


I have reduced my parameters to VS1 and H and found this with a excellent HCA score, would like any feedback:
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.80-carat-h-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-566350

DW

I wouldn't go there. It's missing ideal polish AND symmetry - and its arrows don't look crisp or well defined to me. Its angle stats look fine, but I far prefer the G VVS2 I linked for you.

If you REALLY want bang for your buck, would you consider Blue Nile? I have HUGE experience buying from them, and consistently get the best deals from them.

 

[mrs-b]

How about this? It's a Blue Nile stone. $3899 bank wire price. H VS1, 1.3 on the HCA, very nice stats, hits 6mm in diameter. I know it doesn't have a photo, but the GIA cert gives you the angles and clarity etc, and in my opinion H is a lovely color for a stone (see my profile photo for a much larger H SI1 stone to give you an idea of how white an H looks).

http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD06206015

ETA....

I just wanted to add one more stone. This is a Blue Nile signature cut stone. I have a bunch of BN sig cuts and would say they compare well with the other sig cuts normally recommended here. It's a G SI1. The safety in a BN sig cut is that they guarantee eye clean in all sig cuts. I find them particularly beautiful diamonds - clean and with great light return. Since it's a sig cut and would come direct from BN, it means they hold the stone, so should be able to send you a photo. I would ask, anyway. I suspect this is a lovely stone.

http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD06197127

However, I'll be honest. my pick of the ones I've sent you is the larger, IGI stone. It comes from JA, so you have a return period. I'd ask for them to look at it and compare it for color. They will do that for you with no commitment on your part. Failing that, if the report they give you is encouraging, buy it, take a look at it yourself, and if you don't like it - return it. What you see in real life, vs at 100x magnification, is very different. I LOVED the facet pattern on that stone, the size was better, it seemed VERY clean, and I suspect it will be very white in hand, given how it looks on the site. I actually love that tone in diamonds - I think it looks white, but not cold. Certainly worth asking them about, at least! It's also a great price. From what I can see, an inquiry is a no-risk situation.

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.90-carat-h-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-660529

 

[dwdiamond]

Alas, James Allen could not provide idealscope or more detail on those diamonds because they are not physically in their New York office.

I have nothing against Blue Nile - I just really thought that the 360 view of the actual diamond was really helpful to me. Any thoughts on LD06206015 and LD06197068 (Signature Ideal) at Blue Nile? If you say that Signature Ideals are guaranteed eye clean, then I think LD06197068 is my best bet?

 

[mrs-b]

I think they both would be gorgeous, but for my taste, I'd go with the first one. A VS1 is super clean, and that would 'scratch the itch' you have about having a very clean stone. Both have great specs, but I like a 75% lower facet (which will give you a more obvious arrows pattern) and slightly smaller table (looks prettier from the side in my opinion), so it would work somewhat better for me. Either way, they're both great stones and it's a win/win scenario.

To give you a sense of size - I used to own a .83ct stone (F SI1) and I'm attaching a photo of it as a solitaire. I also used to own an H colored stone (H SI1 2.15ct - pls excuse the dust on it!), and I'm attaching a photo of it also. Hopefully these will give you an idea of the size and the color.

I think you're making some good choices here.

 

[dwdiamond]

Hello all,

Just wanted to post an update. I went with the Blue Nile LD06206015, 0.83ct H VS1 excellent cut - and we couldn't be happier! Please see pictures below on a size 5 ring.

In the end, the colour and clarity are really not a big deal. Seeing pictures of the actual diamond threw me off. I feel this diamond is quite brilliant and was almost blinded when it arrived by FedEx.

Special thanks to Mrs Blop for your guidance!