Finding an Emerald Cut Diamond for this Setting

[Trvst]

Hello all!

I've decided that it's about that time that I put a ring on my girlfriends finger but like 99% of us guys out there - I don't know a lot about diamonds. I've done my research on the 4 C's but I still feel that there are some things that I am missing.

I'm pretty set on purchasing the ring from Whiteflash considering all of the great things I've heard about them and they happen to have the setting that my girlfriend loves.

Now the tricky part: Finding a great diamond to accompany it.

This is the setting that I'm looking at: https://www.whiteflash.com/engagement-rings/diamond-settings/three-side-pave-diamond-engagement-ring-1018.htm

The carat size of the diamond I'm looking at is between 0.9 and 1 with a budget of between $4500 and $5000 for the complete package (ring and band). Of all the diamonds I've found on Whiteflash, the stand outs are:

https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/emerald-cut-loose-diamond-2675887.htm

https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/emerald-cut-loose-diamond-2579820.htm

https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/emerald-cut-loose-diamond-2491023.htm

As you can see I'm trying to go for a good value along with a decent size. I'm still not really sure about the color as the H-Colored diamonds seem to offer much more bang for your buck than one in the colorless range.

Can you find me a better well suited diamond? Any help will be greatly appreciated by myself and my (hopefully) future spouse.

 

[stone-cold11]

No way to tell the cut performance of those virtual stones, could be crap. WF would have to call them in and get an actual ASET image of the stone.

 

[nfowife]

I am NO expert on emeralds, but I would check out James Allen and see if any appeal to you. I saw this one and thought it looked okay-
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Emerald-Diamond-1352962.asp

Here are similar settings to the ones at WF:
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/pave/3-Sided-Pave-Set-Diamond-Engagement-Ring.html
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/pave/18k-White-Gold-Bar-Set-and-3-Sided-Ring.html

You will have to pay to call in stones at WF, and that can start adding up quickly. At least at JA you can see the stones in pictures as a starting point, and ask for ASET for up to 3 stones and get the gemologist to give you their opinion if you have a few you are looking at on which is best.

 

[Trvst]

I'm planning on getting an ASET image before purchasing but I think what I really need to know is what diamond I should be taking the next step on. Color seems to be something that offsets price quite a bit so do you believe an H-colored diamond would a good compromise to an F-colored?

EDIT: Also what does an "excellent" cut signify on Whiteflash?

 

[nfowife]

It's just a rating of the measurements but in a fancy cut that means NOTHING. You can't evaluate a non-round stone based on the numbers, you must see images or it's a total crapshoot. That's what Stone-Cold was trying to say. So if you call in a stone to Whiteflash and it turns out to be a dud you are out $$ for the shipping back and forth from them to the owner of the stone (usually the cutting house).

That's why a place like James Allen is nice as they have images of all stones which helps you weed out the really horrible ones but you still need more info (ASET) to choose a winner from the ones that look good to your eye via photograph. I mean, look at the JA website. Select "emerald" shape and "ideal" for cut and you see the variety of stones you come up with. You need images!

Another option would be to contact Mark @ERD and see if he can find you a good stone. He's in the diamond district so has physical access to a lot of the stones on the virtual list and can replicate most any setting for a very good price. I and many other PSers have used him to find stones and make custom settings and have been very pleased.

But really, you can't tell squat from the WF info pages on those stones. You will see the color in the F vs. H in an emerald cut, yes. But in day to day life you're not going to be holding your stone next to another "whiter" stone for comparison on a daily basis, kwim?. But I wouldn't go lower than an H for an Emerald cut (I have an I round) because the facet setup IMO shows more tint. Up to an H (graded by GIA or AGS) you should be okay IMO.