Exhausted and overwhelmed.

[LLJsmom]

If I were you I would completely stop looking at anything more on line and just wait until the visit to IDJ. Save yourself any more headaches and give yourself a break. Do something else. Live your life. Then revisit after you’ve seen good stones in real life. Don’t even come back to PriceScope until you’ve had your visit. Bye!!

 

[DoeEyes]

@LLJsmom I think you're right, but I don't think I'll be able to stop looking now!

 

[DoeEyes]

@Polished It's true, the .5 does not look too small in that size 5 finger. It's a little hard to tell so close to though.

I printed out some sizes and cut them out so I could have some size comparisons. I'm thinking anywhere between .75 and 1 would be perfect, although I'm sure I could be happy with half carat. 2 is definitely too big.

Here's .5:

Here's .75:

And here's 1 carat:

And the 2 carat just to see how silly big it looks:

 

[DoeEyes]

I can definitely see a big difference between .5 and .75, but barely a difference between .75 and 1.

 

[scarsmum]

@LLJsmom I think you're right, but I don't think I'll be able to stop looking now!

She’s starting to love diamonds guys!!

I think 1 carat looks great and lightbox is a great idea. You’ll need 2 grand all up however. I don’t think you’ll regret it. Now time to tell that SO to take over!

 

[whitewave]

I like the .75 size on you.

 

[DoeEyes]

@whitewave me too! I think I will make my trip to IDJ and see if I can find something I love in the .75-1 carat size range. If not or if the price difference is huge between what he can find and lightbox, I may go with the lightbox option and ask IDJ to set it for me. I'll definitely keep everyone updated.

 

[MamaBee]

@whitewave me too! I think I will make my trip to IDJ and see if I can find something I love in the .75-1 carat size range. If not or if the price difference is huge between what he can find and lightbox, I may go with the lightbox option and ask IDJ to set it for me. I'll definitely keep everyone updated.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[MamaBee]

@Polished It's true, the .5 does not look too small in that size 5 finger. It's a little hard to tell so close to though.

I printed out some sizes and cut them out so I could have some size comparisons. I'm thinking anywhere between .75 and 1 would be perfect, although I'm sure I could be happy with half carat. 2 is definitely too big.

Here's .5:

Here's .75:

And here's 1 carat:

And the 2 carat just to see how silly big it looks:

This is adorable..

 

[mrs-b]

This is adorable..

It's also very common here on Pricescope, and something you'll see regularly recommended. It's a great way to see how diamonds of various sizes look proportionally.

@frogplus - just to add - I can definitely see a difference between the .75 and 1ct 'diamonds', and I think that proportionally the 1ct looks best on your finger. So if you don't want to pay the premium of a 1ct stone, I'd be looking in the .9ct+ range.

Good luck!

 

[sledge]

For money, etc. I think the 0.75ct+ is your sweet spot. Stay under 1 carat to avoid a premium for 1+ carat stones. Some values can be hard in the 0.80-0.95ct range.

Have you talked much with your BF? You keep saying "your savings". Is this a ring you are funding, or is he? You don't have to answer that publicly, but I mention it because he may feel differently about how to spend the dollars than you do. For instance, I was all about making sure my girl had an awesome ring but I'd be okay with a $200 (or less) band for myself. Just something to consider.

 

[MamaBee]

It's also very common here on Pricescope, and something you'll see regularly recommended. It's a great way to see how diamonds of various sizes look proportionally.

@frogplus - just to add - I can definitely see a difference between the .75 and 1ct 'diamonds', and I think that proportionally the 1ct looks best on your finger. So if you don't want to pay the premium of a 1ct stone, I'd be looking in the .9ct+ range.

Good luck!

That’s a very good point @mrs-b! @frogplus if you can find a natural diamond just under 1 carat..it will be much cheaper like mrs-b said.. .9 would be perfect and you probably won’t even notice the difference..Many people know this so they’re hard to find but a good deal and you love that!

 

[DoeEyes]

@mrs-b Interesting that you can see it. I really can't tell at all. I'm definitely still going to try on some different sizes of actual diamonds in person but I think somewhere between the two will be what I end up with, and probably something slightly under 1 carat like you said, .9+ will be ideal to keep the price low and not hit that 1 carat premium!

@sledge It's a good question and I don't mind being totally honest! Basically I have a big stash of money from recently selling my house, and my boyfriend's finances are kind of all over the place right now (he recently bought the house we live in and he's using all of his excess money/time/mental energy to fix it up for us, plus he's recently become self-employed so we're still kind of figuring out how much he's even making, etc). When we first started talking about this, I basically said look, I'll do all the research and shopping and use my savings to buy the ring and basically just give it to you so you can propose, and we were both thrilled with that arrangement. Now that I've been doing this for a few weeks, I am starting to want him to be a LITTLE involved, and he's happy to do whatever I want him to do, but I don't think I need him to be financially involved. That's why we're planning to IDJ trip together. We're trying to be rational and not let other people's perceptions or "the norm" dictate how we do this, but I did say to him that if he feels weird about me using my own money, we can talk about it. I just know that he doesn't have that much money sitting around right now, and I don't want to wait 6 months to a year for him to save up, and it would be silly for him to finance it when I have the money available now. Plus we are planning to merge finances after marriage anyway. We talked about other options too, like maybe he buys just the setting and I pay for the diamond, etc. We're definitely having these discussions and we're always able to talk these things out so I'm confident we'll agree on something.

 

[DoeEyes]

So I'm trying to wait for my visit to IDJ in a few weeks, but obviously I can't stop looking now.

I found a few options on idonowidont of diamonds that I might be able to buy the ring and have IDJ use the diamond in a new setting.

Curious what you guys think of these diamonds. If you were going to buy one, would you need more pictures or videos? Anything stand out from the listing as a red flag? Are these great prices for the size and quality, or not that great?

Also curious what the value would be for the metal that comes with it.

These would all have $40 shipping.

.85 I-J I1 $900
https://www.idonowidont.com/diamonds/085ct-round-solitaire-diamond-ring
.70 G SI2 $1000
https://www.idonowidont.com/diamonds/white-gold-engagement-ring-70-carat
.65 H SI2 $650
https://www.idonowidont.com/diamonds/65ct-solitaire-ring-14k-white-gold-band

 

[whitewave]

So I'm trying to wait for my visit to IDJ in a few weeks, but obviously I can't stop looking now.

I found a few options on idonowidont of diamonds that I might be able to buy the ring and have IDJ use the diamond in a new setting.

Curious what you guys think of these diamonds. If you were going to buy one, would you need more pictures or videos? Anything stand out from the listing as a red flag? Are these great prices for the size and quality, or not that great?

Also curious what the value would be for the metal that comes with it.

These would all have $40 shipping.

.85 I-J I1 $900
https://www.idonowidont.com/diamonds/085ct-round-solitaire-diamond-ring
.70 G SI2 $1000
https://www.idonowidont.com/diamonds/white-gold-engagement-ring-70-carat
.65 H SI2 $650
https://www.idonowidont.com/diamonds/65ct-solitaire-ring-14k-white-gold-band

No.

I’ve been thinking about you and I would be surprised if a diamond doesn’t bring you joy and fascinate you daily with its light play, sparkle and fire. I mean, I can hardly get through wal Mart without stopping and getting fascinated with the light play of my diamonds.

So I really think it is important for you to get a quality cut diamond. It doesn’t have to be super ideal, but I feel like you will really appreciate one that scores 2 or below on HCA and has quality light return and no leakage.

Get a good diamond. If you are going to wear it forever, get a good one.

 

[whitewave]

Thise diamonds are overpriced for their average to likely poor quality.

 

[DoeEyes]

Thank you @whitewave! My plan is to just trust IDJ and know I am in good hands. I just can't stop myself from checking out idonowidont and loupetroop every dang day. I definitely think I will love having a diamond, I just know that I don't want to spend a lot and I really think I might have buyer's remorse if I do. I also found out that my boyfriend is pretty disgusted with the diamond industry and doesn't want us to support it at all, although he does want me to be happy. So I'm thinking the pre-owned and lab grown market might be a requirement. Which is a plus for me too because I'm all about the lowest price.

 

[partgypsy]

My suggestion, is to put all your money into getting an ideal cut diamond, and have put into simple 6 prong setting or other solitaire setting. If you want a diamond band, wait a little or have fiancé fund that portion of ring so he has buy-in).
Unfortunately pickings are slim with loupe troop. This is the only post with ideal in your range (buying 1 diamond). Since this is close to retail price wouldn't hurt to see if can talk seller down a little in price...
https://loupetroop.com/listings/loose-stones-diamond/1-dot-22-tcw-pair-of-ags-0-ideal-cut-diamonds

Or, buy new and have peace of mind. You can fiddle with size and other parameters. If you do a super ideal diamond you can go lower in color and clarity compared to non-ideal diamonddd.
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3963061.htm
https://www.hpdiamonds.com/en-us/diamonddetail/HPD7978
https://www.hpdiamonds.com/en-us/diamonddetail/HPD9073

Most places will let you pick out a Stuller ring setting to use, and HPD diamonds also uses Unique Settings of New York, which has multiple 6 prong ring styles. Have the company you are buying ring from set the stone for you. There's no additional setting cost plus they assume risk of setting.

 

[soxfan]

Thank you @whitewave! My plan is to just trust IDJ and know I am in good hands. I just can't stop myself from checking out idonowidont and loupetroop every dang day. I definitely think I will love having a diamond, I just know that I don't want to spend a lot and I really think I might have buyer's remorse if I do. I also found out that my boyfriend is pretty disgusted with the diamond industry and doesn't want us to support it at all, although he does want me to be happy. So I'm thinking the pre-owned and lab grown market might be a requirement. Which is a plus for me too because I'm all about the lowest price.

IDJ will find you exactly what you are looking for.

 

[whitewave]

@frogplus have you considered an old European cut antique diamond? I can’t remember if you said so.

 

[HappyNewLife]

woosh. Those idonowidont diamonds are terrible. I'm glad you're looking elsewhere!

 

[partgypsy]

yes I also ditto IDJ. I got studs from them and they are gorgeous, will make your money go the farthest.

 

[bludiva]

FWIW i *really* wanted to find a pre-loved ring when we were looking and I scoured IDNID, LoupeTroop, and DiamondBistro for weeks. IDNID inventory seemed to get worse over time, more clarity enhanced and overpriced stones. In that whole time I only saw one ring that would have worked for me (it was on LoupeTroop) but the seller either changed their mind or it sold immediately.

My point is these sites are like searching for a needle in a haystack and it ended up being a huge time suck (for me). I wish you better luck ...I still look at IDNID every once in a while and think you could do better elsewhere. The best quality pre-loved stuff tends to show up on LoupeTroop and PreLoved section here imho.

 

[DoeEyes]

@whitewave I just looked up old European cut vs round brilliant, which I assume is the current standard? I can tell the difference looking side by side and I guess I prefer the timer brilliant, but I'm 99% sure if I just saw an OEC without a brilliant next to it, I wouldn't be able to tell you which it was. As long as it's white and sparkly, I think I'll be thrilled with it. And with it being pre-owned/vintage that's actually a plus for me, since it turns out boyfriend doesn't want to support the diamond industry by buying new.

 

[whitewave]

@whitewave I just looked up old European cut vs round brilliant, which I assume is the current standard? I can tell the difference looking side by side and I guess I prefer the timer brilliant, but I'm 99% sure if I just saw an OEC without a brilliant next to it, I wouldn't be able to tell you which it was. As long as it's white and sparkly, I think I'll be thrilled with it. And with it being pre-owned/vintage that's actually a plus for me, since it turns out boyfriend doesn't want to support the diamond industry by buying new.

That is what I was thInking... your BF might appreciate a “recycled”diamiond.

Look at www.oldworlddiamonds.com I wonder if he is in NYC?

 

[sledge]

@frogplus, thanks for sharing your story and details. I really didn't expect you to do so. Having helped a few friends start businesses and seriously considering helping my fiancee branch out on her own, I totally understand the related stresses. And also the security that comes from having a big fat wad of cash sitting in the bank.

I'm glad you guys are talking about the matter. I also sense he needs to be involved to some degree so he can help you with this decision. More to calm your nerves and make you okay with whatever you decide than to actually tell you what you want. In a weird way, I think you need him to say "it's okay" to whatever you buy even though it's your money, your clearly independent, etc.

Anyhow, as the others advised, those are poor quality diamonds you found. Please do not buy them. In fact, and I don't mean this rudely, but I think you should stay off sites like that because you lack the knowledge to understand if it's a good deal or not. You just see something you like, get your hopes up and then get slammed back down to reality. Consequently I think it's sending you on an emotional roller coaster ride that is unhealthy.

The trip to IDJ should be a good experience for you I think. Hopefully they will show you some good stones, but also some bad ones so that you can understand first hand what we are talking about and how small percentages and degrees can really impact how a diamond sparkles, and makes you feel. Or quite possibly it will do the opposite and you will realize that diamonds aren't important to you at all -- if so, don't say anything to anyone here, they may create a lynch mob.

Also, I hope you are able to view some different colors of diamonds. You have used "white & sparkly" several times but I see you bounce between different color grades and cut grades quite often.

I want you to get the ring of your dreams, but in a healthy positive manner that is a little fun too.

 

[sledge]

@whitewave I just looked up old European cut vs round brilliant, which I assume is the current standard? I can tell the difference looking side by side and I guess I prefer the timer brilliant, but I'm 99% sure if I just saw an OEC without a brilliant next to it, I wouldn't be able to tell you which it was. As long as it's white and sparkly, I think I'll be thrilled with it. And with it being pre-owned/vintage that's actually a plus for me, since it turns out boyfriend doesn't want to support the diamond industry by buying new.

Love some of the old cuts. Does this help with budget though?

See pic below. The one in the middle is a modern round brilliant (MRB). The one on the left is an Antique Cushion, and the one on the right is a round Old European Cut (OEC). All compliments of Victor Canera (VC).

 

[Wewechew]

Love some of the old cuts. Does this help with budget though?

See pic below. The one in the middle is a modern round brilliant (MRB). The one on the left is an Antique Cushion, and the one on the right is a round Old European Cut (OEC). All compliments of Victor Canera (VC).

If she goes with a true antique OEC, not a modern OEC, it would for sure help with budget.

 

[DoeEyes]

@whitewave I'm looking at old world diamonds. Filtered for .74-1c and sorted by price, didn't filter for color or clarity at all just so I can see everything.

#OWA16866 is $921 for .74c G/I1. It looks very black. Is that just the picture or is that what a I1 diamond looks like? Most of them don't have pictures so the next one on the list that's higher than SI with a picture is OWA22263, $1826 for .77c I/SI2. That one looks much less black. I'm also noticing that none of these look very round. Is that the way the picture is cropped or are they actually that misshapen from years of use? Will that be less noticable when it's in a setting?

 

[Wewechew]

@whitewave I'm looking at old world diamonds. Filtered for .74-1c and sorted by price, didn't filter for color or clarity at all just so I can see everything.

#OWA16866 is $921 for .74c G/I1. It looks very black. Is that just the picture or is that what a I1 diamond looks like? Most of them don't have pictures so the next one on the list that's higher than SI with a picture is OWA22263, $1826 for .77c I/SI2. That one looks much less black. I'm also noticing that none of these look very round. Is that the way the picture is cropped or are they actually that misshapen from years of use? Will that be less noticable when it's in a setting?

Contact them directly and tell them what you are looking for. They will be able to help you weed through the less than stellar OECs.