Finding an engagement ring

[AV_]

I will search for the highest grades up to USD9K, HCA 'Ex', approx. 7 mm - expecting 1.3cts D-F/VS

nts.

 

[LittleKite]

Any thoughts on this one?

1.50-Carat Round Cut Diamond | Blue Nile AU

www.bluenile.com

Less clarity and size than the above but I think it represents good value.

I do not like this one. Arrows do not look as clear as the I-VVS1 one IMO.

 

[JA6]

Very good point, thanks.

I found this one on JA that has quite nice arrows. Scores 1.4 on the HCA, very good scintillation otherwise all excellent. Great price point too.

1.50 Carat round diamond

This 1.5 carat round diamond I color si1 clarity has Excellent proportions and a diamond grading report from GIA

www.jamesallen.com

 

[JA6]

Actually it has a less than idea crown angle (31.5 deg)

 

[LittleKite]

I did some search for you on JA and here are a few stones that caught my eyes (they look beautiful and symmetric).

This one looks crystal, sharp, and does not have a thick girdle (a common way to increase weight). It is the most expensive one.

1.51 Carat round diamond

This 1.51 carat round diamond H color vs2 clarity has Excellent proportions and a diamond grading report from GIA

www.jamesallen.com

Same as before, 1.5ct+, slightly thicker girdle, looks great.

1.51 Carat round diamond

This True Hearts TM diamond, 1.51 carat I color vs1 clarity has ideal proportions and a diamond grading report from GIA

www.jamesallen.com

Smaller, but very friendly for budget. Btw, if you use super zoom, you will be able to identify the GIA number. I checked the profile. It looks great to me.

1.34 Carat round diamond

This True Hearts TM diamond, 1.34 carat H color vs1 clarity has ideal proportions and a diamond grading report from GIA

www.jamesallen.com

 

[daisygrl]

Also, OP, try to do some search and figure out from whom you want to buy (what is their return policy, customer service, and also upgrade policy.) In case she will want an upgrade, Blue Nile and James Allen require you to spend twice as much for an upgrade. But they might be the only ones who do not offer "super ideal" cut in case you do not want to pay premium. Otherwise, I would look at HPD, Brian Gavin, Victor Canera - all of them have great diamonds as well as upgrade policy.

 

[JA6]

I did some search for you on JA and here are a few stones that caught my eyes (they look beautiful and symmetric).

This one looks crystal, sharp, and does not have a thick girdle (a common way to increase weight). It is the most expensive one.

1.51 Carat round diamond

This 1.51 carat round diamond H color vs2 clarity has Excellent proportions and a diamond grading report from GIA

www.jamesallen.com

Same as before, 1.5ct+, slightly thicker girdle, looks great.

1.51 Carat round diamond

This True Hearts TM diamond, 1.51 carat I color vs1 clarity has ideal proportions and a diamond grading report from GIA

www.jamesallen.com

Smaller, but very friendly for budget. Btw, if you use super zoom, you will be able to identify the GIA number. I checked the profile. It looks great to me.

1.34 Carat round diamond

This True Hearts TM diamond, 1.34 carat H color vs1 clarity has ideal proportions and a diamond grading report from GIA

www.jamesallen.com

Thanks heaps! I'll have a look through them.

Also, OP, try to do some search and figure out from whom you want to buy (what is their return policy, customer service, and also upgrade policy.) In case, she will want an upgrade (and we always down the road), Blue Nile and James Allen require you to spend twice as much for an upgrade. But they might be the only ones who do not offer "super ideal" cut in case you do not want to pay premium. Otherwise, I would look at HPD, Brian Gavin, Victor Canera - all of them have great diamonds as well as upgrade policy.

Thanks for the advice! I've discussed the upgrade option with her and she's of the mind she doesn't think she wants an upgrade down the line due to sentimentality. Returns are another thing that's tricky because of being in Australia, so it'll need to be a very good reason before we try and return it.

 

[JA6]

Thanks heaps everyone for the ongoing advice.

Just a question re inclusions, what should I look out for? For example this is a VS2 but has two clear crystals on the table. How visible (obviously you can't be sure) would these be in person and not magnified?

1.41 Carat round diamond

This True Hearts TM diamond, 1.41 carat I color vs2 clarity has ideal proportions and a diamond grading report from AGS

www.jamesallen.com

 

[LittleKite]

Here is my approach: change the Zoom from 20x to something like 2x or 3x, look at the diamond carefully. If you do not notice anything even if you try very hard, it is "eye-clean" IMO.

Of course you need to decide whether you want "eye-clean" or "mind-clean", the later is a different story.

Thanks heaps everyone for the ongoing advice.

Just a question re inclusions, what should I look out for? For example this is a VS2 but has two clear crystals on the table. How visible (obviously you can't be sure) would these be in person and not magnified?

1.41 Carat round diamond

This True Hearts TM diamond, 1.41 carat I color vs2 clarity has ideal proportions and a diamond grading report from AGS

www.jamesallen.com

 

[JA6]

That makes sense, thanks. It's been discussed and we're both happy to go with eye-clean!

Using your advice, that one I posted looks eye clean to me.

 

[LittleKite]

That makes sense, thanks. It's been discussed and we're both happy to go with eye-clean!

Using your advice, that one I posted looks eye clean to me.

I did not post that one because one arrow was shorter than the rest, shown both in the video and in the ideal scope image. But this is something minor and may not bother you at all. Another point is that the 1.41 I-VS2 has strong florescence, which could potentially enhance the color under the sun. Its profile also looks good to me.

 

[daisygrl]

I did not post that one because one arrow was shorter than the rest, shown both in the video and in the ideal scope image. But this is something minor and may not bother you at all. Another point is that the 1.41 I-VS2 has strong florescence, which could potentially enhance the color under the sun. Its profile also looks good to me.

The arrows are symmetric. The stone is just tilted in both images. The hearts image is nice so the stone is symmetric.

 

[LittleKite]

The arrows are symmetric. The stone is just tilted in both images. H&A are nice so the stone IS symmetric.

You are right. The hearts image shows that the stone is symmetric 98%. However, I do not understand why the sellers cannot take photos/videos in a way the best presents their stones. Don't they want to sell?

 

[JA6]

The ER took a bit of a backseat as we unfortunately had a family emergency.

I was wondering what your thoughts were on this diamond (that I have on hold to await the photo):

1.63-Carat Round Cut Diamond | Blue Nile

www.bluenile.com

Has good numbers apart from being a bit deep.

This is the photo they sent me:

From a settings POV, this is probably my favourite from BN:

Six-Prong Petite Pavé Diamond Engagement Ring in 14k Rose Gold (1/4 ct. tw.) | Blue Nile

Delicate and timeless, sparkling pavé diamonds and a six-prong setting will complement your selection of center stone.

www.bluenile.com

Any thoughts? I know it's hard without proper imaging.

 

[JA6]

Ended up biting the bullet are ordering the combination above. Excited to see it in person when it gets here at the end of July!

Thanks everyone for your help.

 

[JA6]

Was able to obtain photos and videos of diamond.

Sheetal Group – One of the world’s Leading Diamond Manufacturer, Established in 1985.

Sheetal Group – Established in 1985, association with major diamond mines companies enable us to ethically source our natural rough diamonds paired with our state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities.

www.sheetalgroup.com

Looks like there's some light leakage at the bottom on that IS image, but I don't think it looks too bad. Not perfect, but it was a pretty good price (~$8300). Due to arrive later this month.

 

[adele_h]

Was able to obtain photos and videos of diamond.

Sheetal Group – One of the world’s Leading Diamond Manufacturer, Established in 1985.

Sheetal Group – Established in 1985, association with major diamond mines companies enable us to ethically source our natural rough diamonds paired with our state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities.

www.sheetalgroup.com

Looks like there's some light leakage at the bottom on that IS image, but I don't think it looks too bad. Not perfect, but it was a pretty good price (~$8300). Due to arrive later this month.

Hi there!

If this one doesn’t work out for whatever reason, it could be worth checking out Australian Diamond Network.. their website isn’t anything flash, but the owner Wade used to be a member of the community here and has a good idea of what a PS person would like from their diamond with regards to light performance.. he wound up sourcing me a lovely GIA XXX stone which also fulfilled AGS ideal criteria for much less than I would have paid at any of our retail stores.

I hope this stone works out for you though!

 

[JA6]

Looks like you can see the internal graining on the table adjacent to one of the arrows. Hopefully that won't be visible to the naked eye given you can't see it super well on the video. Overall I'm happy all things considered.

Any thoughts?

 

[JA6]

Hi there!

If this one doesn’t work out for whatever reason, it could be worth checking out Australian Diamond Network.. their website isn’t anything flash, but the owner Wade used to be a member of the community here and has a good idea of what a PS person would like from their diamond with regards to light performance.. he wound up sourcing me a lovely GIA XXX stone which also fulfilled AGS ideal criteria for much less than I would have paid at any of our retail stores.

I hope this stone works out for you though!

Thanks for that! I did look at some local options but they all seemed more expensive than online.

 

[JA6]

These are the ASET and IS images.



Based on my untrained eye, that's light leakage on the table that's greatest adjacent to the three bottom arrows, with that yellow area due to internal graining.

 

[Lykame]

I know you have this ring in person now (congratulations!) but I suspect that the images above are tilted based on the way the arrows look etc, so I'm not sure how accurate that light-leakage area is. However, I'm far from an expert when it comes to these things.

What do you think of it in person?

 

[JA6]

I know you have this ring in person now (congratulations!) but I suspect that the images above are tilted based on the way the arrows look etc, so I'm not sure how accurate that light-leakage area is. However, I'm far from an expert when it comes to these things.

What do you think of it in person?

Looking at in person I do think the ring was slightly tilted when they were taking it. With my untrained eye (and using a loupe), I can't pick out the light leakage area.

Overall I'm very happy with it! Haven't had a look at it in the sunlight yet, but overall, the gamble paid off I think.