First diamond purchase for an engagement ring

[purplesilk]

You got trapped by analysis paralysis : my advice is to postpone the purchase, take a little break from PS and come back when you're calm and ready to accept advice...if you buy a diamond now, you'll never be totally satisfied with it because you'll keep asking yourself if you could do better...

 

[Vladovici]

Hey all.

You got trapped by analysis paralysis : my advice is to postpone the purchase, take a little break from PS and come back when you're calm and ready to accept advice...if you buy a diamond now, you'll never be totally satisfied with it because you'll keep asking yourself if you could do better...

Thank you for your take on this. It may be a good idea but im behind my schedule

I agree with all this.

At some point, especially with your deadline, you're just going to have to pick one. I think you've gotten yourself into analysis paralysis and you're getting too bogged down in the details.

Thank you so much for the advices and patience <3!

are you asking about the stone Kim found? Honestly I feel like you’re a too preoccupied with numbers right now. That stone is cut so well. You can see it in the videos and the photo. There’s no pavilion twist. There’s no paddling. No digging or painting. Also the numbers are averages and rounded figures. The numbers don’t tell you how the facets are functioning.

By now, you’ve seen numerous stones with all the right numbers on the certificate, but defects in the way the cuts were executed. It’s like buying all the best equipment for a band, but not be able to make any music. You have to take the whole picture into consideration.

Thanks so much for the help!!


Bad news - was about to order the diamond proposed by Kim N and I have asked about the delivery time. It will get to me by 15th of May. way way too late.

Quite mad

the one from BlueNile would reach my by the end of the month. gotta consider this one as well.

 

[purplesilk]

@Vladovici : you know what's the best for you! Good luck!!!

 

[Vladovici]

I have ordered the one found by @Kim N, namely the one below.

After placing the order, the estimated delivery date is between 16th may - 21th may, even worse.
I'll make sure to get the ring setting in my possession by then and when the diamond reaches me to have a fast mount on it.

Loupe360

loupe360.com

Once again, special thanks to everyone that has helped me, I know i'm a "tough nut" and it may not have been the most straightforward diamond picking reason for which i am even more grateful!

 

[Vladovici]

For educational purposes, i'm trying to make sense of the difference between the 360 videos techniques:

Loupe360​

loupe360.com

or

0.43 Carat G-VS2 Astor Cut Round Diamond

This Astor TM diamond, 0.43 carat G color vs2 clarity has ideal proportions and a diamond grading report from GIA

www.bluenile.com

Why do you consider the second one so much easier to read?
The first one also offers a view from the bottom side, showing the hearts and also from the bottom i could see a lot more inclusions. looks more transparent


Also, is there any correlation between the colors displayed and that can be seen in the videos and the actual performance irl?
to my eyes, few of the diamonds youve said that have bad cut had more brilliance and colour than the ones youve said that are better cut.
Can it be just filming technique / lightening differences?

 

[MissGotRocks]

For educational purposes, i'm trying to make sense of the difference between the 360 videos techniques:

Loupe360​

loupe360.com


or

0.43 Carat G-VS2 Astor Cut Round Diamond

This Astor TM diamond, 0.43 carat G color vs2 clarity has ideal proportions and a diamond grading report from GIA

www.bluenile.com

Why do you consider the second one so much easier to read?
The first one also offers a view from the bottom side, showing the hearts and also from the bottom i could see a lot more inclusions. looks more transparent


Also, is there any correlation between the colors displayed and that can be seen in the videos and the actual performance irl?
to my eyes, few of the diamonds youve said that have bad cut had more brilliance and colour than the ones youve said that are better cut.
Can it be just filming technique / lightening differences?

Yes, of course it can. All companies don’t use the same lighting, magnification or distance from the diamond to produce these videos. Furthermore, diamond cut is not determined by the lighting in these videos. You seem intent on second guessing all the assistance that many have tried to give you. You choose whichever diamond you feel is best. Collective patience wears out eventually and you are about to cross that threshold.

 

[Vladovici]

Yes, of course it can. All companies don’t use the same lighting, magnification or distance from the diamond to produce these videos. Furthermore, diamond cut is not determined by the lighting in these videos. You seem intent on second guessing all the assistance that many have tried to give you. You choose whichever diamond you feel is best. Collective patience wears out eventually and you are about to cross that threshold.

Well, i truly trust your judgement on diamond performance and chose one recommended by Kim N.
However, im curious by nature and given the reduced information regarding how to read these videos, what are the details that give away a bad cut, etc...i ask more information.
Its not that i do not believe, its that i want to understand.
I could find info about facets, proportions, how they should work together...purely theoretical. Now, when it comes to practice on reading those videos...my mind just cant comprehend and seeks continuously a way to make sense what makes you say that one is good or one is bad. Its not second guessing but indeed it looks that way.
I should have explained myself earlier. Also, in previous post, ive started with mentioning its purely educational.

Considering the way i have started looking for the diamonds:
with no possibility to choose one outside of local jewelries
to getting frustrated by that
and to decide importing them from overseas
to calling customs comissioners to find info about the import procedures so at least I have a chance to get to get your advice...by choosing JA or BN diamonds...
To find that 77diamonds do ship to Romania...which simplifies everything...
And to look for new diamonds all over on 77diamonds and to ask your advice on them.

Been quite a ride for me.

I truly appreciate your advice and help, thank you once again to everyone.

 

[MissGotRocks]

Well, i truly trust your judgement on diamond performance and chose one recommended by Kim N.
However, im curious by nature and given the reduced information regarding how to read these videos, what are the details that give away a bad cut, etc...i ask more information.
Its not that i do not believe, its that i want to understand.
I could find info about facets, proportions, how they should work together...purely theoretical. Now, when it comes to practice on reading those videos...my mind just cant comprehend and seeks continuously a way to make sense what makes you say that one is good or one is bad. Its not second guessing but indeed it looks that way.
I should have explained myself earlier. Also, in previous post, ive started with mentioning its purely educational.

Considering the way i have started looking for the diamonds:
with no possibility to choose one outside of local jewelries
to getting frustrated by that
and to decide importing them from overseas
to calling customs comissioners to find info about the import procedures so at least I have a chance to get to get your advice...by choosing JA or BN diamonds...
To find that 77diamonds do ship to Romania...which simplifies everything...
And to look for new diamonds all over on 77diamonds and to ask your advice on them.

Been quite a ride for me.

I truly appreciate your advice and help, thank you once again to everyone.

And I understand your journey. The best way to choose a diamond is with our own eyes. Unfortunately, those are not always sold in stores and readily available for us to see. The videos can show brilliance and scintillation of the diamond. You can see color in them but never know for sure if the color is from the diamond or the lighting. You can make some correlation between the diamond color and the color grade it has received on the cert. However, these videos are highly magnified and clearly not always uniform in their appearance. It is known that certain table, crown and pavilion angles along with depth and girdle thickness will produce the best light performing diamond. Sellers of super ideal cut diamonds take the guesswork out for you but I understand that you can’t purchase these from your location. So recommendations made here are based on that knowledge along with experience of either buying or looking at diamonds for the long term. While you will find a wealth of information in looking at this forum, you probably won’t find a ton regarding these diamond videos. They are not all created the same, but used in conjunction with the other factors can give a pretty good idea of a diamond’s performance. I would strongly encourage you to buy from a vendor with an iron clad return policy. Then you can purchase a diamond and examine it in all different lighting environments. If for some reason you don’t love it, you have the ability to return it for a full refund.
At the end of the day, we all hope you will find the diamond that makes you and your lady very happy. We hope that you will come back here and help other consumers with the knowledge you have gleaned. I have been on this forum for 19 years and am still learning. Take some time to think it all over and get a good night’s rest. Hopefully, once you have taken some breathing room, you will find some clarity regarding which diamond you would like to purchase.

 

[Vladovici]

Ive already ordered the diamond. Got to wait a month for it to arrive. Its the one below:

Loupe360

loupe360.com

Unfortunately, 77diamonds do not offer free returns on international shipping, nor do JA or BN.
Therefore, returning it would cost somewhere around 100 eur, minimum.
Also, given 1 month lead time...a new order would throw me off my schedule by an unacceptable amount of days.

Ive got one bullet :p shot it already choosing the diamond above.
This pressure also added up making the choice harder.

I ll sure go around all jewelry shops i ll pass by from now on and check out the diamonds.
However, i dont know what the jewelry stores in other countries have on stock but if i recall correctly, i ve only seen a 1 diamond over 1 carat in here.

Guess a bigger diamond could make it easier for my eyes go make sense of color, clarity...

Well, given my expertise on performance is non existent, i ll try to help others in my situation with logistics / info. Started a thread about it, will keep on updating.

 

[0515vision]

@Vladovici, you seem to keep looking at the flashes and bright spots. When evaluating cut, you want to look for and at the dark areas. All diamonds will have some brightness. We’re inspecting for uneven cut, obstruction, and twist. This is akin to being mesmerized by a diamond seen in pawn shop lighting. Don’t let the glitter make you think it’s gold.

 

[Vladovici]

Well, so far ive understood its the black that matters.
You want to have a diamond bright all over, edge to edge, so reduced black spot outside the arrow.
Black spots around the center could mean pavilion twist.

What about the arrows width? This is mainly influenced by lgf, given gia rounds them by 5% it can be a quite dramatic difference between 75% and 80.
This may be a matter of taste, do you prefer them to be wide of thin?
Given the 5% rounding, depending on how wide the are we could guess if its closer to to 73% or to 82%.
I guess on the diamond chose by me to be around 73-75% rather than 77%.

What about the arrow heads. Some of them are not perfectly aligned to the arrow body.
I would understand that the lower body facet is not perfectly symmetrical to crown, that there s a small twist between the two.
Now, given that the light, regardless of the symmetry between the two halves, will anyway reach a crown facet, is that an issue particularly because of this or does it just betray a bad cut in general?

 

[Vladovici]

Just found my diamond on bluenile

0.46 Carat F-VVS1 Excellent Cut Round Diamond

This 0.46 carat round diamond F color vvs1 clarity has Excellent proportions and a diamond grading report from GIA

www.bluenile.com

They have a different 360 video, as you love em, oposite to the one from loupe360.

 

[Vladovici]

Hey. info only, if you see any redflags in the BN video, the order can be cancelled at no pentalties

 

[Dreamer_D]

You will be very happy with this diamond.

 

[Vladovici]

uhm, as annoying as it may be, given the very long lead time, ETA 16th of May for the order on going...im inclined to cancel it and to find one that has the possibility to ship quicker...

as of today, BlueNile ETA on this diamond is around 28-29 April which meets my deadline (one proposed by lovedogs)

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

However, I see that generally, BlueNile expedites faster than 77diamonds and if I am to choose to same diamond I have ordered from 77diamonds it could reach me a lot sooner.

Now i'm waiting an answer from 77diamonds to see if they can help me with a faster delivery, if that is not possible, ill have to cancel and look for a new one with quick delivery OR pick one from BN as they ship faster but at higher costs for me (duty, customs brokering services).

what I have really tried to avoid is ordering from USA since I pay the duty/brokering but I may not have a choice.
so my strategy is the following:
wait for 77diamonds answer on a possible faster expedite - if it not possible - 2 things I can do:

Wait to see if BlueNile can provide the same diamond but with faster ETA (given my order cancelation) - here:

0.46 Carat F-VVS1 Excellent Cut Round Diamond

This 0.46 carat round diamond F color vvs1 clarity has Excellent proportions and a diamond grading report from GIA

www.bluenile.com

or order today the one found by lovedogs, ETA 28-29 APR

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

the question now:
given I may have to order it from BlueNile anyway and I may be able to pick between them, which one to go by? they are quite similar in proportions, almost identical.

also, as my bday is coming and most of my relatives are living very far from me, they ve sent me some cash as a bday present to buy myself "whatever I am in need of" and im in a dire need of an engagement ring therefore, im thinking of adding that cash + some other I can save from the ring setting to the diamond.
that would mean my budget just increased with about 500 EUR for the diamond, going up to about 1500-1600 for the diamond (to which I add the VAT, to about a total of 1800E).

theres the 0.55 G VS2 on 77 diamonds within the budget but I just dont like the inclusions it has, may or may not be eyeclean, just knowing they are there makes me not want it for an E-ring, maybe for another jewelry piece.
Or I could buy her another ring and give it to her later, found this model I really like with her birthstones:
is it to your liking? tho i'll get it in white gold.
or
purchase also diamond earrings studs to make a set with the ring



so, since youre girls, would you rather have :
0.46 ct e-ring + another ring as above OR a matching stud diamond earrings
or
0.55-0.6 ct e-ring

 

[tyty333]

I prefer the .46 F/Vs1.

 

[MissGotRocks]

uhm, as annoying as it may be, given the very long lead time, ETA 16th of May for the order on going...im inclined to cancel it and to find one that has the possibility to ship quicker...

as of today, BlueNile ETA on this diamond is around 28-29 April which meets my deadline (one proposed by lovedogs)

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

However, I see that generally, BlueNile expedites faster than 77diamonds and if I am to choose to same diamond I have ordered from 77diamonds it could reach me a lot sooner.

Now i'm waiting an answer from 77diamonds to see if they can help me with a faster delivery, if that is not possible, ill have to cancel and look for a new one with quick delivery OR pick one from BN as they ship faster but at higher costs for me (duty, customs brokering services).

what I have really tried to avoid is ordering from USA since I pay the duty/brokering but I may not have a choice.
so my strategy is the following:
wait for 77diamonds answer on a possible faster expedite - if it not possible - 2 things I can do:

Wait to see if BlueNile can provide the same diamond but with faster ETA (given my order cancelation) - here:

0.46 Carat F-VVS1 Excellent Cut Round Diamond

This 0.46 carat round diamond F color vvs1 clarity has Excellent proportions and a diamond grading report from GIA

www.bluenile.com

or order today the one found by lovedogs, ETA 28-29 APR

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

the question now:
given I may have to order it from BlueNile anyway and I may be able to pick between them, which one to go by? they are quite similar in proportions, almost identical.

also, as my bday is coming and most of my relatives are living very far from me, they ve sent me some cash as a bday present to buy myself "whatever I am in need of" and im in a dire need of an engagement ring therefore, im thinking of adding that cash + some other I can save from the ring setting to the diamond.
that would mean my budget just increased with about 500 EUR for the diamond, going up to about 1500-1600 for the diamond (to which I add the VAT, to about a total of 1800E).

theres the 0.55 G VS2 on 77 diamonds within the budget but I just dont like the inclusions it has, may or may not be eyeclean, just knowing they are there makes me not want it for an E-ring, maybe for another jewelry piece.
Or I could buy her another ring and give it to her later, found this model I really like with her birthstones:
is it to your liking? tho i'll get it in white gold.
or
purchase also diamond earrings studs to make a set with the ring



so, since youre girls, would you rather have :
0.46 ct e-ring + another ring as above OR a matching stud diamond earrings
or
0.55-0.6 ct e-ring

I would rather have one ring with the largest diamond you could afford. Focus on the engagement ring for now; there will be years to add other pieces of jewelry to her collection.

 

[Vladovici]

I prefer the .46 F/Vs1.

thank you!

I would rather have one ring with the largest diamond you could afford. Focus on the engagement ring for now; there will be years to add other pieces of jewelry to her collection.

Thank you once again! Those were my first thoughts initially but that would mean looking for a new diamond which could take quite some time and energy (and with me, patience also )
I've checked the diamonds in discussion in the other thread of knculo, I have liked the one he chose (0.62 E). since he has already been there, looking all over for similar diamonds would result, probably, in same results.

in the meantime, I have managed to source the diamond suggested by lovedogs also on 77diamonds website.
I've asked them about the delivery time and with bit of luck I could have it by 3rd of May which could fit my schedule so that would be great.

I'll just wait for their answer on the current order, if there's anything that can be done to get it faster. if not, cancel, re-order. either the other 0.46 either another one bigger, i've got limited time this week to search, busy with work but i'll do my best in the evenings/nights.

 

[Vladovici]

Ive got my answer from 77diamonds. They re able to expedite the already on order diamond sooner, same ETA as the other one and both have similar price.

At this point, i can swap the diamonds and have either of them ordered, same eta.

@Kim N, @0515vision @MissGotRocks having also the same technique video from bluenile, which one do you advise me to keep, VS or VVS?
Or did you spot any new diamond better cut within 1400-1500 eur range?

0.46 Carat F-VVS1 Excellent Cut Round Diamond

This 0.46 carat round diamond F color vvs1 clarity has Excellent proportions and a diamond grading report from GIA

www.bluenile.com

Or

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

 

[0515vision]

@Vladovici, you crack me up in the best way! lol!

I’m traveling for work, so no, I haven’t been searching for more diamonds for you. I’m confident you have all the information you need to make a wonderfully perfect decision for this joyous proposal. xoxo

And Happy Birthday!

 

[Vladovici]

Oh well, im glad that at least youre having fun :p

I hate traveling for work, tho im happy it happens now les than it used to

Oh, i havent meant that you d be searching diamonds for me :p may just happen.

Since i cracked you up earlier, how bout this: im just looking at a ring with zirconia gem and one with a diamond next to it. I swear i would choose zirconia, lol, just so much more fire.
It costs 180 euro )) dam my gf better be happy with whatever diamond i get her xd
(I hope that saying this is not like cursing on this forum )

 

[purplesilk]

Oh well, im glad that at least youre having fun :p

I hate traveling for work, tho im happy it happens now les than it used to

Oh, i havent meant that you d be searching diamonds for me :p may just happen.

Since i cracked you up earlier, how bout this: im just looking at a ring with zirconia gem and one with a diamond next to it. I swear i would choose zirconia, lol, just so much more fire.
It costs 180 euro )) dam my gf better be happy with whatever diamond i get her xd
(I hope that saying this is not like cursing on this forum )

If you like fire, choose moissanite!

 

[Vladovici]

Ive actually looked that up already but have not found one to see in real life. Aint popular here ... Is that popular/common in Italy?

 

[purplesilk]

Ive actually looked that up already but have not found one to see in real life. Aint popular here ... Is that popular/common in Italy?

Moissanite is not popular in Italy, but I saw some moissanite solitaires in real life and they were wonderful...
if you like fire and rainbow effect, moissanite is the right stone for you!

 

[purplesilk]

You can see some moissanite rings here

Show me the travel rings.....

Post some pics of your travel rings!

www.pricescope.com

 

[purplesilk]

In the RockyTalky forum we're allowed to discuss only about earth mined diamonds.
In the Fabulous Fashion Jewellery forum you can find many threads about moissanite...I prefer diamonds but I think that they're not for everyone because different people have different tastes!
My best advice is to take the time to educate yourself and make a conscious choice.

Moissanite rings from Starsgem on ebay (starsgem8)

Hello everyone - I thought I would put some of my Starsgem rings on a separate thread from Tianyu as I know they have been discussed on different threads and it seemed a good time to start my own. So like many of you, I read about Tianyu from mrsgreeneyes on Reddit but this was back in...

www.pricescope.com

 

[Vladovici]

Well, ill just stick with the classic, natural diamond for now. Given its an e-ring, having a strong symbolization, i prefer something durable, ever lasting

 

[Vladovici]

What do you think of this one?
isn't it very dark?

dv.mp4

drive.google.com

 

[Vladovici]

What do you think of this one?
isn't it very dark?

dv.mp4

drive.google.com

anyone?

 

[0515vision]

I don't understand the lighting set up on this one. Can't give an informed opinion.
Are you looking at purchasing this one or is this your insatiable diamond curiosity at play?