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Engagement Stone - Opinions?

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stenz109

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jan 25, 2010
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Hello there. Well, I''ve finally made the decision to pop the question after about 5 years with the same woman. She is a absolutely great person and I''d like to get her a great engagement ring. I don''t know much about diamonds but have been doing a bunch of research over the last couple of weeks, to include reading through a number of posts on this forum (which has been a great resource). I''ve decided on a budget somewhere between 10-20K for the ring and am trying to get the most for my money. I understand with the diamond market the way that it is this is a great time to find quality diamonds a great prices.

After reading a bunch on the four C''s and how diamonds are graded it seems to me that the best quality stone would be a D color diamond with IF or FL clarity (although it seems FL is very rare), along with the best cut that can be afforded. I would like a stone that is large enough to wear and be proud...but not too big to be gaudy.

After reading through this forum and going to a couple of recommended vendor sites I''ve downselected to a couple of diamonds that I think fit the bill...but, to be honest, this is a very large purchase for me and I don''t feel comfortable with my knowledge at this point to know if these are good deals, bad deals, if I should consider something else or if I''m missing any key factors that I''m not taking into consideration. I would appreciate any advice from the knowledgeable folks on this forum as I move forward with this purchase.

The couple of diamonds I''m considering are:
http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-search?filter_id=0&track=head#diamonds_pid=LD01505251
http://www.lumeradiamonds.com/diamonds/detail/491185

Do these seem like decent diamonds?


I''m also not sure if I''m too stringent on my clarity and color or if I should consider lesser clarity and color and a larger carat size...I really want a great looking ring that my new fiancée will be proud to wear.

Thanks for any advice in advance, it is very appreciated!
 
You will not be able to tell the difference in clarity from an IF with an eye-clean SI1 without equipment.

Color wise depends on your sensitivity and how it is mounted, D-G is the same for most people once mounted.
 
Thanks for the quick reply. It's possible that I am looking at this wrong - if I cannot tell the difference between a perfect "D" color and a lesser grade then it probably doesn't make sense for me to spend extra for it. Same with the visibility...perhaps I should consider less of both and spend more on the cut of the diamond (which I understand is something that makes a huge difference)? If you can't tell I'm still trying to wrap my head around what makes a great looking diamond. I'm not interested in an investment, just a genuine diamond that will look and feel great.
 
You have a very generous budget
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You have a lot of room to adjust depending on what your priorities are. With RBs you can drop colour somewhat and not see tint, and the sparkles hide inclusions very well... it really is cut that''s key.




My personal preferences tend toward lower colour and clarity in favour of size, so I''d go for something like this: http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/Whiteflash-ACA-cut-diamond-2231258.htm#
 
Sweet spot is usually in the range of G/H VS2/SI1 stones. Go for the best cut, not necessary a H&A stone and with a G/H VS2/SI1 range, balance with your budget and carat priority.
 
Date: 1/25/2010 2:37:41 PM
Author:stenz109
Hello there. Well, I've finally made the decision to pop the question after about 5 years with the same woman. She is a absolutely great person and I'd like to get her a great engagement ring. I don't know much about diamonds but have been doing a bunch of research over the last couple of weeks, to include reading through a number of posts on this forum (which has been a great resource). I've decided on a budget somewhere between 10-20K for the ring and am trying to get the most for my money. I understand with the diamond market the way that it is this is a great time to find quality diamonds a great prices.

After reading a bunch on the four C's and how diamonds are graded it seems to me that the best quality stone would be a D color diamond with IF or FL clarity (although it seems FL is very rare), along with the best cut that can be afforded. I would like a stone that is large enough to wear and be proud...but not too big to be gaudy.

After reading through this forum and going to a couple of recommended vendor sites I've downselected to a couple of diamonds that I think fit the bill...but, to be honest, this is a very large purchase for me and I don't feel comfortable with my knowledge at this point to know if these are good deals, bad deals, if I should consider something else or if I'm missing any key factors that I'm not taking into consideration. I would appreciate any advice from the knowledgeable folks on this forum as I move forward with this purchase.

The couple of diamonds I'm considering are:
http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-search?filter_id=0&track=head#diamonds_pid=LD01505251
http://www.lumeradiamonds.com/diamonds/detail/491185

Do these seem like decent diamonds?


I'm also not sure if I'm too stringent on my clarity and color or if I should consider lesser clarity and color and a larger carat size...I really want a great looking ring that my new fiancée will be proud to wear.

Thanks for any advice in advance, it is very appreciated!
Click to expand...
Hi stenz and welcome!

I would suggest taking your time until you feel comfortable, read and ask questions. This is the only way to get a good ' feel' for what your priorities should be for this special diamond and you will soon know what colour, clarity and cut quality to get and how you should prioritize them. You have a super budget and it will be well worth really thinking this through in order to get the right diamond. I would suggest for size going for at least a carat depending on your GF's preference or expectations. G or H VS or SI1 can be a good middleground to work with as this gives a good balance between size and quality if the cut is great. Cut - depends on your preference, whether you want to shoot for the highest, rarest cut quality of a branded h&a or whether you are fine with just a well cut stone.

If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask!
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I agree with Lorelei - take a little bit of time to do some reading and ask questions.

As a noob to the diamond world, the people here have been tremendous in offering advice, information and educated perspectives.

You are starting with virtually the same specifications I did...

Several months into this I''ve taken Stone-Cold (and many others) advice and searched for the sweet spot where quality/quantity meets value. It seems to make more sense to me (I''m more analytical than emotional). Also, ''value'' is defined differently for everyone. I found it by spending time reading on here and gaining some knowledge. If you have questions, type them into the search bar at the top, chances are the answers have already been given, if not, post them new - they always seem to get answered!
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-If you''re afforded the luxury of time - take it to educate yourself.

-Take into consideration the vendors that offer upgrade/buy-back policies. Those options might never be needed but since they are free...I figure, why not have them just in case?

-Vendors on here offer significant discounts - up to 5% for pricescope members and wire transfers (instead of credit cards). That certainly adds up when looking at your budget.

-Taxes are avoided if you ship out of state. Again, a great benefit as oppose to buying at the local jewellery store.

Sorry my advice is limited to process and not your diamonds but I figured I could leave that to the experts...lots of those around here
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You''ve got a nice budget to work within, I''m sure you''ll end up with the perfect diamond for your soon to be fiance!

Good luck!
 
Hi stenz, I''ll just throw a couple of things out there.

There is nothing wrong with high color and clarity if that is what you want. We just want to make sure you understand that they aren''t necessary to have a beautiful ring. There are people on this forum that love their D, E and F color stones and other that prefer diamonds in the K, L, M range, but all of the most beautiful diamonds have one thing in common. They are extremely well cut.--that is the one characteristic that should not be sacrificed.


After reading a bunch on the four C''s and how diamonds are graded it seems to me that the best quality stone would be a D color diamond with IF or FL clarity (although it seems FL is very rare), along with the best cut that can be afforded. I would like a stone that is large enough to wear and be proud...but not too big to be gaudy.
Click to expand...
With this statement from you in mind, my recommendation would be to:

1) focus on cut--getting a really well cut diamond will cause it to sparkle more than an average cut D/IF

2) decide what size you feel would be appropriatly large and not too gaudy

3) then determine color and clarity based on your budget.

Depending on what size diamond you end up looking for, you may be able to purchase a colorless (D, E or F) and higher clarity. We do not want to discourage you from that if it is what you are wanting. You may also decide that a larger G or H color is what will be the best for her and you. Every shopper is different, so you just need to prioritize what you want for a diamond. What is most important after cut--size, color or clarity? Once you determine that, it will make it much easier to find a good diamond.
 
Thanks to everyone for the great replies, this is helping me narrow things down tremendously. I didn''t realize initially how much of a difference the cut of the diamond made, seems to me that this would be the best place to invest my $$. At the same time, by obtaining a slightly lower quality on the clarity and color I think I can start looking at rings in the 1.5-2 carat range. I''m honestly not sure if 2 carat would be too big...I saw a couple of sticky posts on this with picture comparisons which have helped out a lot.

I''m going to refine my search criteria today to see what I can come up with online and maybe post a couple of my finds here to get opinions. It seems that the best values/selection I have found are at bluenile, although there are a couple of other vendors that have a good selection. I''ve also searched on ebay but am a little worried about buying something from Ebay of this value...especially if you factor in the cut which does not seem to be consistently measured across sites (blue nile has signature ideal, other sites have other "ideal" ratings). Seems to me you could end up with a diamond where you''re not really sure what you''re getting.

Again, thank you for assisting me with this special event!
 
Date: 1/26/2010 9:30:47 AM
Author: stenz109
Thanks to everyone for the great replies, this is helping me narrow things down tremendously. I didn't realize initially how much of a difference the cut of the diamond made, seems to me that this would be the best place to invest my $$. At the same time, by obtaining a slightly lower quality on the clarity and color I think I can start looking at rings in the 1.5-2 carat range. I'm honestly not sure if 2 carat would be too big...I saw a couple of sticky posts on this with picture comparisons which have helped out a lot.

I'm going to refine my search criteria today to see what I can come up with online and maybe post a couple of my finds here to get opinions. It seems that the best values/selection I have found are at bluenile, although there are a couple of other vendors that have a good selection. I've also searched on ebay but am a little worried about buying something from Ebay of this value...especially if you factor in the cut which does not seem to be consistently measured across sites (blue nile has signature ideal, other sites have other 'ideal' ratings). Seems to me you could end up with a diamond where you're not really sure what you're getting.

Again, thank you for assisting me with this special event!
Click to expand...
That sounds fine!

Here is a list of the trusted vendors besides Blue Nile for your perusal.

www.whiteflash.com

www.goodoldgold.com

www.highperformancediamonds.com

www.briangavindiamonds.com

www.jamesallen.com

www.niceice.com

www.idjewelryonline.com

www.exceldiamonds.com

Also I would not advise buying from Ebay unless you are dealing with a known trusted vendor.

Concerning the Ideal Cut label used by some vendors, this is not a guarantee of a well cut diamond so it is important to evaluate each stone by its own desirable physical and visual properties.
 
Don't forget to do a search from the home page:
pricescope.com

It give you a discount and links to approved vendors
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EDIT: LORELEI BEAT ME TO IT!!
LOL
 
Date: 1/26/2010 9:38:50 AM
Author: IceExplorer
Don''t forget to do a search from the home page:
pricescope.com

It give you a discount and links to approved vendors
2.gif



EDIT: LORELEI BEAT ME TO IT!!
LOL
Click to expand...
31.gif
 
Thanks for all of the great advice! I've modified my search criteria and am searching the vendor sites recommended by pricescope to try to find a diamond that fits. Basically, I've refined the search criteria to:
D-F Color
IF-VS2 Clarity
Cut: Ideal/Excellent or better (several sites seem to have a "special" cut above these grades)

I've found a couple of diamonds that look promising, but seems to me it is very hard to distinguish between them. Some have a several thousand $$ difference but seem the same on paper to me..I'm not sure what I'm missing. Any opinions on the following would be greatly appreciated:

Option 1: http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/F-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1254482.asp
Option 2: http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/E-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1279570.asp
Option 3: http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-search?filter_id=0&track=head#diamonds_pid=LD01110915

I also found some promising diamonds at idjewelryonline.com. Some of these (and the most reasonable priced) are graded by EGL...looking around I've found a lot of GIA and AGS grades, but this is the first I had seen EGL. I'm not sure if this is an inferior rating scheme or ? Am I missing something on the ratings of the below diamonds (which otherwise seem good).

ID Diamond 1: ID Diamond 1
ID Diamond 2: ID Diamond 2

Thanks so much...I've learned a ton from this forum and these responses so far, looking forward to more great advice!

Thanks!!
 
Options 1-3 looks promising. Request an idealscope image for 1 and hearts image for 3.

Cannot see the EGL report but generally it is discounted by the trade as they are usually looser in grading for color and clarity and so they are priced accordingly.
 
Date: 1/26/2010 10:41:46 PM
Author: stenz109
Thanks for all of the great advice! I've modified my search criteria and am searching the vendor sites recommended by pricescope to try to find a diamond that fits. Basically, I've refined the search criteria to:
D-F Color
IF-VS2 Clarity
Cut: Ideal/Excellent or better (several sites seem to have a 'special' cut above these grades)

I've found a couple of diamonds that look promising, but seems to me it is very hard to distinguish between them. Some have a several thousand $$ difference but seem the same on paper to me..I'm not sure what I'm missing. Any opinions on the following would be greatly appreciated:

Option 1: http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/F-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1254482.asp
Option 2: http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/E-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1279570.asp
Option 3: http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-search?filter_id=0&track=head#diamonds_pid=LD01110915

I also found some promising diamonds at idjewelryonline.com. Some of these (and the most reasonable priced) are graded by EGL...looking around I've found a lot of GIA and AGS grades, but this is the first I had seen EGL. I'm not sure if this is an inferior rating scheme or ? Am I missing something on the ratings of the below diamonds (which otherwise seem good).

ID Diamond 1: ID Diamond 1
ID Diamond 2: ID Diamond 2

Thanks so much...I've learned a ton from this forum and these responses so far, looking forward to more great advice!

Thanks!!
Click to expand...
Hi stenz, you are most welcome!

Option 1 might have potential, request an Idealscope image.

Option 2 - the hearts image needs loading from JA, could be a great diamond.

Option 3 - can't read the link as I often have trouble with Blue Nile as I get linked to the homepage.
 
Thanks all. I''ve ordered the Idealscope image for option 1. It seems to me the hearts image is already available for the option 2 when I click to the right of the diamond. On the other hand, I''m really not sure how to read either of these but I''ll post the idealscope when received.

It seems that no one is into the IDjewlereyonline diamonds...should I throw these out as options since options 1-3 clearly seem to be better?

Thanks again!
 
EGL graded stones are not a deal usually as the trade discount it for their looser grading standards and price it accordingly. Also, the report is not available so no way to judge if the cut of the stone is any good.
 
All - I received the idealscope image for option 1 as suggested (attached to this post). I have no idea how to read this thing - can one of you experts on the board take a look and let me know what you think? Thanks!

1254482-id.JPG
 
Looks good.
 
thmbupemot.gif
 
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