shape
carat
color
clarity

Final 2 contenders - smaller H vs larger I?

Bayside_Tigers

Rough_Rock
Joined
Apr 15, 2016
Messages
13
Hello all,

I think I am down to the final two contenders and would appreciate your advice/thoughts. My SO and I have gone to a few local t&c's and the feedback I have received is that her two primary preferences are to maximize size and that she prefers H colored stones (with I not at an unacceptable level of tint...). Specs are as follows:

1.76 H VS2 AGS-0 (in hand and about 7 days into my 30 day return period; looks incredible to my eye)
Depth: 61.1
Table: 58.8
CA: 33.7
PA: 41.0
7.8mm diameter
HCA: 1.5-1.6 depending on whether you use a 58.8/59 table

2.07 I VS2 GIA-3EX (the vendor can not provide light perf images so I would have to take it to someone locally; ~$700 more)
Depth: 61.9
Table: 57
CA: 35.0
PA: 40.6
~8.15mm
HCA: 1.0

With the second stone, clearly I would be 'buying the paper' and upon receipt would have to begin my due diligence for light performance and that the I passed the visual test/is not a low 'I', etc. I would very much appreciate your thoughts/opinions on whether the size increase and crossing the 2c threshold would be worth going to a lower color+extra dollars (not necessarily material but would be pushing budget a bit higher than initially planned). Thanks!

Edit: I believe she wears a 5.5-6 or so size ring but her overall hand is about the same size as her 10 year old girl cousin's. A 1.3 she tried on looked great but her face definitely lit up trying on a 1.5.
 

msop04

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Messages
10,051
Hey Bayside! (love the name) :lol:

I'd want the larger I color... but that's just me. I have 3.33 ct I and it looks really white. She will be able to tell a difference in the size, but not sure she'd notice a difference in color. :))
 

msop04

Super_Ideal_Rock
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10,051
Here they are side by side. I made the fingers shorter since you said hers were very small.
895f0a3d0f0e6cf7458cc3e80eafa402.jpg
 

diamondseeker2006

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
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Messages
58,547
Are you saying that the second stone is only $700 more than the first? As long as you can check it out for leakage, that would be a clear choice for someone who values size! I wouldn't worry about color, either, because GIA I will look a lot like the AGS H more than likely.
 

Bayside_Tigers

Rough_Rock
Joined
Apr 15, 2016
Messages
13
Thank you both for the quick feedback, as well as for the helpful picture! To confirm, yes the larger I would be about $700 more than the H. Not sure how she will choose to set it, but I do know she likes solitaires and has shown me a pic of the aria by jean dousset.

Edit: messing around with a tape ruler I think her ring finger is definitely in the 55-60mm range, excellent guess msop!
 

msop04

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Bayside_Tigers|1463951736|4034898 said:
Thank you both for the quick feedback, as well as for the helpful picture! To confirm, yes the larger I would be about $700 more than the H. Not sure how she will choose to set it, but I do know she likes solitaires and has shown me a pic of the aria by jean dousset.

I would get the larger stone... hands down.
 

poshmommy

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jan 28, 2016
Messages
562
Larger stone!
 

rocks

Brilliant_Rock
Premium
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Messages
862
I'd try to find out if she really is set on no lower than h color. I would not be happy with an I color engagement ring....or anything other piece of diamond jewelry for that matter. Color is very important to me. I color screams yellow, and h is tinted....but that's me. What matters here are her priorities. A 1.7 is a lovely size, so if color matters, I'd go for the h.
 

Bayside_Tigers

Rough_Rock
Joined
Apr 15, 2016
Messages
13
Thank you everyone for your thoughts!

rocks|1463961955|4034941 said:
I'd try to find out if she really is set on no lower than h color. I would not be happy with an I color engagement ring....or anything other piece of diamond jewelry for that matter. Color is very important to me. I color screams yellow, and h is tinted....but that's me. What matters here are her priorities. A 1.7 is a lovely size, so if color matters, I'd go for the h.

Rocks, thank you for your thoughts/perspective. You certainly raise meaningful points. The only information I have to go on is that in a line-up from E-I, she liked the H the most, with G/I her next favorites (no real preference between those two but would have to give the edge to the G if she had to).

Given the feedback you all have kindly provided, I think the next order of business would be to get both stones in hand and confirm whether there is a material/appreciable difference in color between the two, to diamondseeker's point. Please keep the opinions coming and I would more than welcome any strategies on how to glean additional info re: color preference! Thanks again.
 

diamondseeker2006

Super_Ideal_Rock
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58,547
What is your budget for the diamond? Have you looked through the PS vendor sites?

Otherwise, that is ideal to compare the two stones!
 

msop04

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Messages
10,051
Bayside_Tigers said:
Thank you everyone for your thoughts!

rocks|1463961955|4034941 said:
I'd try to find out if she really is set on no lower than h color. I would not be happy with an I color engagement ring....or anything other piece of diamond jewelry for that matter. Color is very important to me. I color screams yellow, and h is tinted....but that's me. What matters here are her priorities. A 1.7 is a lovely size, so if color matters, I'd go for the h.

Rocks, thank you for your thoughts/perspective. You certainly raise meaningful points. The only information I have to go on is that in a line-up from E-I, she liked the H the most, with G/I her next favorites (no real preference between those two but would have to give the edge to the G if she had to).

Given the feedback you all have kindly provided, I think the next order of business would be to get both stones in hand and confirm whether there is a material/appreciable difference in color between the two, to diamondseeker's point. Please keep the opinions coming and I would more than welcome any strategies on how to glean additional info re: color preference! Thanks again.

OP, color preferences are personal. Each person has a different sensitivity and tolerance. That said, some ppl actually PREFER H/I over D/E/F... in all honestly, the whitest I ever care to go is H. Not because I don't like D-F, but because H is super white to me. I feel like anything above that is kind of a waste of money. But again, that is my just my preference. [emoji56][emoji1360]

My old stone was a 2.43 (8.7 mm) J MRB with no fluoro. It was set in a halo and the sides were not visible. It looked pretty white face up, so I was happy. If it had been in a solitaire or other setting that exposed the side view, it would have been too tinted for me.

So when I decided to upgrade, I knew I needed to try to find an H/I color or a J with MBF-SBF, at the very least. I was really worried that going up in size would limit me to H and I/Fluoro.

Long story short, the last two stones being considered were a 3.33 (9.8 mm) I/SI2 with Negligible Fluoro and a 3.28 (9.6 mm) J/SI1 with SBF. They were both AMAZINGLY WHITE face up -- the SBF really did make it appear whiter... BUT the side view on the J was a little more tinted than I was willing to go. I ended up choosing the 3.33 I bc it was larger, had a better HCA, and was noticeably whiter for less than $4K more. To me, that was worth it -- esp bc it was eye clean.

What I'm trying to say (albeit in a very long way - sorry!) is that even in a larger stone, I color is extremely white. I wouldn't hesitate to get another I color in an even larger stone one day. Not one bit! [emoji4]
 

msop04

Super_Ideal_Rock
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diamondseeker2006 said:
What is your budget for the diamond? Have you looked through the PS vendor sites?

Otherwise, that is ideal to compare the two stones!

I was just thinking this, DS... Maybe we could find some other stones for the OP?? [emoji184][emoji851]
 

msop04

Super_Ideal_Rock
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10,051
Also, I don't know if this has been mentioned, but DS's gorgeous diamond is an I color AVR -- really white! [emoji7]
 

Bayside_Tigers

Rough_Rock
Joined
Apr 15, 2016
Messages
13
Thank you diamondseeker and msop for your generous offers to help (and I'd like to add that both of your rocks are incredible)! With both stones currently paid for I'm afraid that I probably should give my bank accounts a bit of a reprieve until we weed at least one of them out and are able to replenish the well :oops: :lol: Any of the great selections you guys would come up with would be teasing me just out of reach. I've been poring over the search/vendor sites and feel pretty good about these two. I suppose the primary challenge would be the determination of what is an unacceptable amount of tint (were there to be a noticeable color difference between the two), without asking her directly and thus spoiling the surprise. Fingers crossed!
 

Bayside_Tigers

Rough_Rock
Joined
Apr 15, 2016
Messages
13
msop04|1463968831|4034983 said:
Bayside_Tigers said:
Thank you everyone for your thoughts!

rocks|1463961955|4034941 said:
I'd try to find out if she really is set on no lower than h color. I would not be happy with an I color engagement ring....or anything other piece of diamond jewelry for that matter. Color is very important to me. I color screams yellow, and h is tinted....but that's me. What matters here are her priorities. A 1.7 is a lovely size, so if color matters, I'd go for the h.

Rocks, thank you for your thoughts/perspective. You certainly raise meaningful points. The only information I have to go on is that in a line-up from E-I, she liked the H the most, with G/I her next favorites (no real preference between those two but would have to give the edge to the G if she had to).

Given the feedback you all have kindly provided, I think the next order of business would be to get both stones in hand and confirm whether there is a material/appreciable difference in color between the two, to diamondseeker's point. Please keep the opinions coming and I would more than welcome any strategies on how to glean additional info re: color preference! Thanks again.

OP, color preferences are personal. Each person has a different sensitivity and tolerance. That said, some ppl actually PREFER H/I over D/E/F... in all honestly, the whitest I ever care to go is H. Not because I don't like D-F, but because H is super white to me. I feel like anything above that is kind of a waste of money. But again, that is my just my preference. [emoji56][emoji1360]

My old stone was a 2.43 (8.7 mm) J MRB with no fluoro. It was set in a halo and the sides were not visible. It looked pretty white face up, so I was happy. If it had been in a solitaire or other setting that exposed the side view, it would have been too tinted for me.

So when I decided to upgrade, I knew I needed to try to find an H/I color or a J with MBF-SBF, at the very least. I was really worried that going up in size would limit me to H and I/Fluoro.

Long story short, the last two stones being considered were a 3.33 (9.8 mm) I/SI2 with Negligible Fluoro and a 3.28 (9.6 mm) J/SI1 with SBF. They were both AMAZINGLY WHITE face up -- the SBF really did make it appear whiter... BUT the side view on the J was a little more tinted than I was willing to go. I ended up choosing the 3.33 I bc it was larger, had a better HCA, and was noticeably whiter for less than $4K more. To me, that was worth it -- esp bc it was eye clean.

What I'm trying to say (albeit in a very long way - sorry!) is that even in a larger stone, I color is extremely white. I wouldn't hesitate to get another I color in an even larger stone one day. Not one bit! [emoji4]

Thank you once again for sharing your thoughts, that is very helpful color :bigsmile:. I absolutely did not expect for her (and I for that matter) to prefer the near colorless stones over the colorless ones, even with price & size not factored in. We are both in our mid-20s so I imagine her tastes may or may not change over time...
 

msop04

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Dec 3, 2011
Messages
10,051
Bayside_Tigers said:
Thank you diamondseeker and msop for your generous offers to help (and I'd like to add that both of your rocks are incredible)! With both stones currently paid for I'm afraid that I probably should give my bank accounts a bit of a reprieve until we weed at least one of them out and are able to replenish the well :oops: :lol: Any of the great selections you guys would come up with would be teasing me just out of reach. I've been poring over the search/vendor sites and feel pretty good about these two. I suppose the primary challenge would be the determination of what is an unacceptable amount of tint (were there to be a noticeable color difference between the two), without asking her directly and thus spoiling the surprise. Fingers crossed!

Thanks for your kind words, Bayside! I agree that you should definitely compare the two side-by-side and IRL. That said, I think you should find a way to have her choose, if possible. Would it be out of the question to propose with a very generic ($150) temp setting? You could have them both mounted and surprise her by letting her pick -- goodness, that girl would be on cloud nine!! Can you imagine??!! [emoji7][emoji7][emoji7]

Then just send the other one back. Win-Win!!
 

msop04

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Dec 3, 2011
Messages
10,051
Bayside_Tigers said:
msop04|1463968831|4034983 said:
Bayside_Tigers said:
Thank you everyone for your thoughts!

rocks|1463961955|4034941 said:
I'd try to find out if she really is set on no lower than h color. I would not be happy with an I color engagement ring....or anything other piece of diamond jewelry for that matter. Color is very important to me. I color screams yellow, and h is tinted....but that's me. What matters here are her priorities. A 1.7 is a lovely size, so if color matters, I'd go for the h.

Rocks, thank you for your thoughts/perspective. You certainly raise meaningful points. The only information I have to go on is that in a line-up from E-I, she liked the H the most, with G/I her next favorites (no real preference between those two but would have to give the edge to the G if she had to).

Given the feedback you all have kindly provided, I think the next order of business would be to get both stones in hand and confirm whether there is a material/appreciable difference in color between the two, to diamondseeker's point. Please keep the opinions coming and I would more than welcome any strategies on how to glean additional info re: color preference! Thanks again.

OP, color preferences are personal. Each person has a different sensitivity and tolerance. That said, some ppl actually PREFER H/I over D/E/F... in all honestly, the whitest I ever care to go is H. Not because I don't like D-F, but because H is super white to me. I feel like anything above that is kind of a waste of money. But again, that is my just my preference. [emoji56][emoji1360]

My old stone was a 2.43 (8.7 mm) J MRB with no fluoro. It was set in a halo and the sides were not visible. It looked pretty white face up, so I was happy. If it had been in a solitaire or other setting that exposed the side view, it would have been too tinted for me.

So when I decided to upgrade, I knew I needed to try to find an H/I color or a J with MBF-SBF, at the very least. I was really worried that going up in size would limit me to H and I/Fluoro.

Long story short, the last two stones being considered were a 3.33 (9.8 mm) I/SI2 with Negligible Fluoro and a 3.28 (9.6 mm) J/SI1 with SBF. They were both AMAZINGLY WHITE face up -- the SBF really did make it appear whiter... BUT the side view on the J was a little more tinted than I was willing to go. I ended up choosing the 3.33 I bc it was larger, had a better HCA, and was noticeably whiter for less than $4K more. To me, that was worth it -- esp bc it was eye clean.

What I'm trying to say (albeit in a very long way - sorry!) is that even in a larger stone, I color is extremely white. I wouldn't hesitate to get another I color in an even larger stone one day. Not one bit! [emoji4]

Thank you once again for sharing your thoughts, that is very helpful color :bigsmile:. I absolutely did not expect for her (and I for that matter) to prefer the near colorless stones over the colorless ones, even with price & size not factored in. We are both in our mid-20s so I imagine her tastes may or may not change over time...

You're so welcome! ...and if her tastes change, it's totally okay -- trust me, there will be probably be upgrades at some point in your marriage. [emoji56][emoji12][emoji6]
 

Bayside_Tigers

Rough_Rock
Joined
Apr 15, 2016
Messages
13
msop04|1463971337|4034999 said:
Bayside_Tigers said:
Thank you diamondseeker and msop for your generous offers to help (and I'd like to add that both of your rocks are incredible)! With both stones currently paid for I'm afraid that I probably should give my bank accounts a bit of a reprieve until we weed at least one of them out and are able to replenish the well :oops: :lol: Any of the great selections you guys would come up with would be teasing me just out of reach. I've been poring over the search/vendor sites and feel pretty good about these two. I suppose the primary challenge would be the determination of what is an unacceptable amount of tint (were there to be a noticeable color difference between the two), without asking her directly and thus spoiling the surprise. Fingers crossed!

Thanks for your kind words, Bayside! I agree that you should definitely compare the two side-by-side and IRL. That said, I think you should find a way to have her choose, if possible. Would it be out of the question to propose with a very generic ($150) temp setting? You could have them both mounted and surprise her by letting her pick -- goodness, that girl would be on cloud nine!! Can you imagine??!! [emoji7][emoji7][emoji7]

Then just send the other one back. Win-Win!!

That is a great suggestion! I am not planning on proposing for some time so unfortunately it would be outside of the return period, but your idea has me thinking of ways to perhaps have her 'view' both and express her preference.
 

msop04

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Messages
10,051
Bayside_Tigers said:
That is a great suggestion! I am not planning on proposing for some time so unfortunately it would be outside of the return period, but your idea has me thinking of ways to perhaps have her 'view' both and express her preference.

Okay... So this is what I'd do. Have the vendor place the stones in a claw holder (I'm pretty sure that's what they do anyway when you buy a loose stone). Take TONS of photos and videos in several different lighting situations (as well as against solid white/white walls) and from several angles, focusing on face up and side view.

Make sure to upload onto your computer for viewing, so it won't be so obvi you made them. Tell her you found a forum comparing color... [emoji56]

Casually have her view them "so you'll have an idea when the time comes". Make sure you mention color vs size and give the hypothetical of "well, if it came down to a couple of stones like these, which would you prefer?" or whatever -- you know your lady better than any of us, so I'm sure you'd know how to play it. [emoji57][emoji41]
 

msop04

Super_Ideal_Rock
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...and, yes, it's totally to be a little sneaky like that. She'll really appreciate your concern for her likes/wants. [emoji1360]
 

Bayside_Tigers

Rough_Rock
Joined
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Messages
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msop04|1463972447|4035006 said:
Bayside_Tigers said:
That is a great suggestion! I am not planning on proposing for some time so unfortunately it would be outside of the return period, but your idea has me thinking of ways to perhaps have her 'view' both and express her preference.

Okay... So this is what I'd do. Have the vendor place the stones in a claw holder (I'm pretty sure that's what they do anyway when you buy a loose stone). Take TONS of photos and videos in several different lighting situations (as well as against solid white/white walls) and from several angles, focusing on face up and side view.

Make sure to upload onto your computer for viewing, so it won't be so obvi you made them. Tell her you found a forum comparing color... [emoji56]

Casually have her view them "so you'll have an idea when the time comes". Make sure you mention color vs size and give the hypothetical of "well, if it came down to a couple of stones like these, which would you prefer?" or whatever -- you know your lady better than any of us, so I'm sure you'd know how to play it. [emoji57][emoji41]

This...this is exactly what I am going to do! Thanks for the great idea :dance:
 

msop04

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Messages
10,051
Bayside_Tigers said:
msop04|1463972447|4035006 said:
Bayside_Tigers said:
That is a great suggestion! I am not planning on proposing for some time so unfortunately it would be outside of the return period, but your idea has me thinking of ways to perhaps have her 'view' both and express her preference.

Okay... So this is what I'd do. Have the vendor place the stones in a claw holder (I'm pretty sure that's what they do anyway when you buy a loose stone). Take TONS of photos and videos in several different lighting situations (as well as against solid white/white walls) and from several angles, focusing on face up and side view.

Make sure to upload onto your computer for viewing, so it won't be so obvi you made them. Tell her you found a forum comparing color... [emoji56]

Casually have her view them "so you'll have an idea when the time comes". Make sure you mention color vs size and give the hypothetical of "well, if it came down to a couple of stones like these, which would you prefer?" or whatever -- you know your lady better than any of us, so I'm sure you'd know how to play it. [emoji57][emoji41]

This...this is exactly what I am going to do! Thanks for the great idea :dance:

Great minds, Bayside... Great minds. [emoji57][emoji12]
 

msop04

Super_Ideal_Rock
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...and you're welcome!! [emoji4]

EEEK! I'm so excited for you! Please do come back and let us know what she ends up choosing!

Btw, how are you going to set it? (I apologize if this was mentioned previously…) [emoji16]
 

Bayside_Tigers

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Messages
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Will do! I know she likes the tiffany six-prong solitaire and I've caught her looking at http://jeandousset.com/jewelry/engagement-rings/aria-plain/# (not sure what the little band wrapping around connecting the prongs is called). Not going to play with fire on the setting as she has expressed a strong desire to be involved on that step :lol: - so I will definitely be using a temp setting or a substitute ring or something.
 

msop04

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Bayside_Tigers said:
Will do! I know she likes the tiffany six-prong solitaire and I've caught her looking at http://jeandousset.com/jewelry/engagement-rings/aria-plain/# (not sure what the little band wrapping around connecting the prongs is called). Not going to play with fire on the setting as she has expressed a strong desire to be involved on that step :lol: - so I will definitely be using a temp setting or a substitute ring or something.

Smart man. [emoji41]
 

msop04

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That's a really cool and contemporary setting, yet elegant and timeless. I will say this... DON'T OVERPAY FOR THAT SETTING. DK can make that setting (and pretty much any other setting she'd want) for a lot less. ...unless it's very important for her to have the brand name. Then, well... save up! [emoji389][emoji389][emoji389]
 

msop04

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Save these links. Ya know... just in case. [emoji57][emoji57]

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/show-us-your-david-klass-bling.196654/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/show-us-your-david-klass-bling.196654/[/URL]

https://www.facebook.com/david.klass.jewelry/

http://ink361.com/app/users/ig-1947241365/david_klass_jewelry/photos

https://mobile.twitter.com/diamonddude

David made an awesome solitaire for me, and he's sizing and adding milgrain to my bezel eternity as we speak, err, post. [emoji851]

This has since been sold to fund my recent upgrade, but I wanted to show you.

525ee08bcd51de0adde715e38ab74d4c.jpg
1043fd91da0d49738797aa016642ff90.jpg
 

msop04

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Sorry... I digress. [emoji15][emoji16] #ADD
 

Bayside_Tigers

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Messages
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Ha! You are too quick for me - I was posting a response to ask who DK is and that I believe (hope?) that the brand is not important to my gf but that she would most likely prefer to work with local vendors. And...whaddayaknow, it just so happens that my gf works in an office building off Figueroa 0.6 miles away from where DK is :lol: thanks for the links (and for everything, really) I will definitely be bookmarking them!
 

msop04

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Bayside_Tigers said:
Ha! You are too quick for me - I was posting a response to ask who DK is and that I believe (hope?) that the brand is not important to my gf but that she would most likely prefer to work with local vendors. And...whaddayaknow, it just so happens that my gf works in an office building off Figueroa 0.6 miles away from where DK is :lol: thanks for the links (and for everything, really) I will definitely be bookmarking them!

Bayside!! It's FATE!! [emoji95][emoji1363][emoji95]
 
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