First diamond purchase for an engagement ring

[0515vision]

@lovedogs, I really like your picks! For whatever reason, the 0.46 catches my eye the most.

Since this is Blue Nile, they may have a good return policy. Might be worth ordering one and seeing it IRL. Sometimes fluorescence can help a diamond look whiter.

 

[Vladovici]

Would you consider the 0.46 from BlueNile a lot better than my dia no. 2?

 

[lovedogs]

Would you consider the 0.46 from BlueNile a lot better than my dia no. 2?

Personally yes, because I have a much easier time "reading" the videos from BN than I do with the ones you posted

 

[Dreamer_D]

From blue Nile in Euros

0.46 Carat F-VS1 Excellent Cut Round Diamond

This 0.46 carat round diamond F color vs1 clarity has Excellent proportions and a diamond grading report from GIA

www.bluenile.com

I think overall this is the best choice. The proportions are great. The small table, high crown, and short lower halves will make it a bolder, more firey stone like you want. And like lovedogs said, it is easier to interpret these videos from BN than the one you have for diamond 2. So we can feel more confident about this option.

BN also has many settings you can choose, and I recommend doing that as having the stone set by the company you purchase from is so much easier and safer (they are responsible for any damage if it happens during setting).

 

[Vladovici]

Well, all those being said, i ll be making some calls to some duty customs entities to help me with the import, see all the taxes involved and procedures.

The thing is that the setting on bluenile is so much more expensive than what I can find on local market and besides the high price, i ll be paying the vat on it.

Therefore, if i am to order one from overseas it will be only the diamond and i ll be mounting it locally.

 

[Vladovici]

Well, according to BlueNice Chat support, UPS is the shipping company and it also takes care of all the customs, including tax collectiing.

I start taking into consideration ordering from BlueNile or JamesAllen.
Whiteflash excludes Romania from shipping.

the taxes are around 20-25% therefore, a loose diamond with a sales price of 1100 euros (or 1200 USD) should reach be around 1375 Eur (1480 USD) after paying all the taxes.

Ill investigate some more, including confirming with UPS.

Regarding the ring setting, it costs around 300-400E in Romania and also they offer warranty, free rhodium plating yearly and resizing if necessary therefore it makes no sense to order it online, lose the benefits and costs twice as much. I guess I'll have to take the risks of mounting locally...

 

[0515vision]

How much is diamond #2? Where were you going to have that one set?

 

[Vladovici]

Diamond #2 costed around 1300 euros and the ring setting was around 400 euros for 18k gold or 950 platinum. I chose the gold, the platinum is sooooo heavy.
given the higher amount of metal alloys in 14k gold, it wouldve been my first option instead of 18k but the jewelry said they do not work with 14k.

Now, since I could just take the diamond anywhere, I could choose 14k. My gf is clumsy, sharp corners are like a magnet for her, this is also the reason for which I chose a 6 points prong setting, if it ever happens that she damages one...there are 5 more to hold tight the diamond.

 

[Vladovici]

What about the view from the behind of the diamond, where you can see the hearts? How can you see that on BN?

 

[Vladovici]

Regarding the black spots and arrows misalignment, are those a concern?

Would you consider that F + some fluorescence might cause it to look yellowish in some circumstances of lightning?

 

[Vladovici]

Just received some more quotations from other stores, it does not take to be an expert to say no to them

Therefore, I am quite determined now to order one from BlueNile or JamesAllen (same store, don't know tho if the listed stones are exactly the same).

So far, @lovedogs has identified the one below as a competitor for the order.

0.46 Carat F-VS1 Excellent Cut Round Diamond

This 0.46 carat round diamond F color vs1 clarity has Excellent proportions and a diamond grading report from GIA

www.bluenile.com

Would you recommend other stones within my budget?
Budget around 1100 EUR ~ 1200 USD (can exceed if there is a really really excellent stone).

I'll mount it locally on a ring like this:

 

[BensonLoe]

I’m not aware of one, but I want to tag @BensonLoe, who I believe is from Germany. He came on the forum a year ago or so and purchased a diamond ring from Whiteflash. He just came back recently and is looking for earrings. He might be able to tell you about his experience purchasing as a European.

For earrings: You are referring to studs, which sit on the ear and do not dangle. I would recommend Whiteflash (or Brian Gavin) again for this. My reason for recommending these two super-ideal vendors when people are new to diamond purchasing is that you will be able to get a perfectly cut, precision stone, with ideal light performance (tons of sparkle) without having to do all the analysis yourself. Then after you see their product and have one in hand, I think you’ll be better able to go off on your own and judge the performance of other stones if you choose to do that in the future. For me, I take comfort in knowing that I have the absolute best performer so I can compare other stones to it in the future if I make other purchases from different vendors. If I make tradeoffs or concessions in the performance of diamonds in future purchases, it’s because I know exactly what trade offs I am making, and not because I just don’t know any better. Some people do not put as high importance on super ideal stones, and that is totally valid. But I do believe that for a significant purchase such as engagement ring, if you are not an experienced buyer, you should start out with the best so that you can be more informed in the future.
Good luck in your search. You are asking all the right questions.

@Vladovici

I am from Germany and purchased a diamond ring for my girlfriend which I ordered from Whiteflash. Just some points:

- these guys here are awesome, listen to them
- the ring from Whiteflash was really nice, my girlfriend is looking every day at the ring and is super happy, compared to other diamonds the performance is amazing
- yes you have to pay taxes, in the end maybe take a slightly smaller diamonds than taking a bigger one from Europe which sucks … the guys from Whiteflash were super helpful and offered video calls and all I asked for


Cheers,
Benjamin

 

[Kim N]

Just received some more quotations from other stores, it does not take to be an expert to say no to them

Therefore, I am quite determined now to order one from BlueNile or JamesAllen (same store, don't know tho if the listed stones are exactly the same).

So far, @lovedogs has identified the one below as a competitor for the order.


Would you recommend other stones within my budget?
Budget around 1100 EUR ~ 1200 USD (can exceed if there is a really really excellent stone).

I'll mount it locally on a ring like this:

Take a look at these options.

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.45-carat-d-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-18636270

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.47-carat-f-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-20288085

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.46-carat-d-color-vvs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-19277073

 

[Vladovici]

I like the 3d one, do u think that ca 16.5 with 75% lower halves will result in more fire?

 

[Kim N]

I like the 3d one, do u think that ca 16.5 with 75% lower halves will result in more fire?

Yes, I do.

 

[Vladovici]

Tho it has so many graining, can clearly and easily be seen on the video...kinda bothers me.

 

[Vladovici]

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.47-carat-e-color-vvs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-19330642

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.47-carat-e-color-vvs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-20323635

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.47-carat-f-color-if-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-20334129

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.44-carat-d-color-vvs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-18352189

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.43-carat-f-color-if-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-19094374

How do you feel about these?

 

[0515vision]

The 0.47 that @Kim N found is lovely, and 15% is still a generous crown height.

 

[Vladovici]

@Vladovici

I am from Germany and purchased a diamond ring for my girlfriend which I ordered from Whiteflash. Just some points:

- these guys here are awesome, listen to them
- the ring from Whiteflash was really nice, my girlfriend is looking every day at the ring and is super happy, compared to other diamonds the performance is amazing
- yes you have to pay taxes, in the end maybe take a slightly smaller diamonds than taking a bigger one from Europe which sucks … the guys from Whiteflash were super helpful and offered video calls and all I asked for


Cheers,
Benjamin

hey. thank you very much.
Unfortunately, I can't order from whiteflash as they do not ship to Romania.

I am glad that your girlfriend is happy.
About the taxes, other than the VAT, have you had other taxes to pay (e.g Duty)?

 

[0515vision]

Of the new ones you posted, I like the first one best. Some of the others are not cut well.

Are you purposefully picking large crown heights? I’m not sure that’s the best way to go. Fire is nice, but you also want the stone to be bright overall. Also, I think fire only happens with certain lighting. Most often we are indoors in office type lighting. We don’t often linger in spotlighting, and I thought that’s the one that helps with fire. One of the experts will know better.

 

[Vladovici]

About the crown heights, yes, looking for about 15 to 16%.

Now, about the lightning, the ones I have seen had both indoor and outdoor lightning conditions. In particular, most fire had one I have seen at sunshine light, throwing off some fire arrows that felt like piercing my eyes and another one that had only office lightning, no windows around and it still had so much fire.

Whilst I get it that outdoor may help enhance the fire but most of the time we spend indoor...i still choose fire for a ring.
for her earrings which i'll purchase later on i'll get a bright stone, less fire.

am i seeing things wrong?

 

[Vladovici]

Recap: We've got the following diamonds so far in the "competition":

1. https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...color-vvs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-19330642 (found myself)

2. https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-20288085 (from @Kim N )

3. https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-de...s Incomplete","Sub1 - 99 - Prism"&PID=1348290 (from @lovedogs )

4. https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-18636270 (found by Kim N)

5. https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...color-vvs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-19277073 (Found by Kim N but i dont like those grainings around)

Of the new ones you posted, I like the first one best. Some of the others are not cut well.

What exactly gave away the fact those diamonds are not well cut, which details?

 

[0515vision]

The last two on your list have CA 36.5, and I wonder if that’s why the diamonds look dark under the table.

Here’s what I wasn’t crazy about on two of your other choices. Do you want your diamond to be bright from edge to edge. But again, I’m still relatively new to all of this, and I could be wrong.

 

[Vladovici]

Thank you!

Well, plot twist...... Whilst chatting with 77diamonds support chat, trying to figure out what the taxes may be for ordering a diamond to Italy, to help Knculo, they ve told me they ship to Romania as well...
so ... plot twist, 77diamonds is on the table..

 

[Vladovici]

I see you have recommended this one:
Given its VS2 and quite visible inclusions on the video, also color G, are you sure it may be worth its price? its quite ... quite a stretch for me

Loose Diamonds

Best selection of cut loose diamonds. To buy diamonds online choose from over 400,000 loose diamonds at wholesale prices.

www.77diamonds.com

If you look carefully at the fire video, it also has some internal grains which are not being mentioned in the GIA cert.
Why are those not? are quite visible

 

[MissGotRocks]

I see you have recommended this one:
Given its VS2 and quite visible inclusions on the video, also color G, are you sure it may be worth its price? its quite ... quite a stretch for me

Loose Diamonds

Best selection of cut loose diamonds. To buy diamonds online choose from over 400,000 loose diamonds at wholesale prices.

www.77diamonds.com

If you look carefully at the fire video, it also has some internal grains which are not being mentioned in the GIA cert.
Why are those not? are quite visible

GIA grades diamonds at 10x magnification. They plot what they see at 10x. These pictures and videos are much more highly magnified than the 10x they are graded at all the time. An internally flawless diamond doesn't mean it has no flaws, they just can't be seen at a 10x magnification.

 

[Vladovici]

Just concerned because also some of defects are black which could make them eye visible. Being sooo much over my budget (would end up costing me around 1800 EUR, the budget I have in mind for the whole ring), it is a hard decision. You've all seem to love it despite the visible defects on videos, despite them being also black and despite it being a G color, outside my filters of D E F.
All of you seem to love it and therefore, before spending about 40% more than I have intended and also being outside my choices (VVS2 - DEF)

Few more I have found that are close to my budget:

Loose Diamonds

Best selection of cut loose diamonds. To buy diamonds online choose from over 400,000 loose diamonds at wholesale prices.

www.77diamonds.com

Loose Diamonds

Best selection of cut loose diamonds. To buy diamonds online choose from over 400,000 loose diamonds at wholesale prices.

www.77diamonds.com

Loose Diamonds

Best selection of cut loose diamonds. To buy diamonds online choose from over 400,000 loose diamonds at wholesale prices.

www.77diamonds.com

 

[Lisag103]

Just concerned because also some of defects are black which could make them eye visible. Being sooo much over my budget (would end up costing me around 1800 EUR, the budget I have in mind for the whole ring), it is a hard decision. You've all seem to love it despite the visible defects on videos, despite them being also black and despite it being a G color, outside my filters of D E F.
All of you seem to love it and therefore, before spending about 40% more than I have intended and also being outside my choices (VVS2 - DEF)

Few more I have found that are close to my budget:

Loose Diamonds

Best selection of cut loose diamonds. To buy diamonds online choose from over 400,000 loose diamonds at wholesale prices.

www.77diamonds.com

Loose Diamonds

Best selection of cut loose diamonds. To buy diamonds online choose from over 400,000 loose diamonds at wholesale prices.

www.77diamonds.com

Loose Diamonds

Best selection of cut loose diamonds. To buy diamonds online choose from over 400,000 loose diamonds at wholesale prices.

www.77diamonds.com

Hey, I am also in Europe (Ireland) and have purchased a few times from US. The customs charges I had to pay were VAT & Duty. VAT is 23% in Ireland and Duty was 2.5% so approx 25% total. I think VAT is a little less in Romania so budgeting 25% should the max you would pay I would say.

Diamonds in most cases are always cheaper in US so its worth purchasing abroad and UPS do handle all the customs fees and charges so that makes it easier.

With regards to the diamond selection I'm not of great help. I like anything that sparkles so don't get too caught up in angles or HCA scores. I will say however the guys here are wizzes at selecting the best diamond I would especially listen to @Kim N as she really know her stuff and has helped so many people get the diamond of their dreams. You wont go wrong if you select on of her choices!

Hope this helps and best of luck with your search!

 

[Vladovici]

Hey, I am also in Europe (Ireland) and have purchased a few times from US. The customs charges I had to pay were VAT & Duty. VAT is 23% in Ireland and Duty was 2.5% so approx 25% total. I think VAT is a little less in Romania so budgeting 25% should the max you would pay I would say.

Diamonds in most cases are always cheaper in US so its worth purchasing abroad and UPS do handle all the customs fees and charges so that makes it easier.

With regards to the diamond selection I'm not of great help. I like anything that sparkles so don't get too caught up in angles or HCA scores. I will say however the guys here are wizzes at selecting the best diamond I would especially listen to @Kim N as she really know her stuff and has helped so many people get the diamond of their dreams. You wont go wrong if you select on of her choices!

Hope this helps and best of luck with your search!

Thank you so much for the reply!!!

Im assesing all options at this point! Indeed, VAT is 19% but i'm taking into account an increase of 25%.

 

[0515vision]

The two Cupid ideal cuts look great.