First time diamond buyer advice

[Arm123]

Hey there... this is my first post and I am definitely glad that i had found this forum before i go threw with my first diamond purchase (yes, it is sort of scary).

I am planning on ''popping the question'' to my long time GF (10 years) and surprising her with a diamond princess cut solitaire ring.

Right now i am trying to find the right / best lose diamond i can find and set it in a platinum setting. I have found this diamond and am ready to make the buy.

Would this be a nice diamond to set for an engagement ring ? I have been to a few jewelry stores in my area and viewed some diamonds and concluded that SI1 and above are very nice looking (to the naked eye), I am going with VS1 to be sure. I’m just concerned about the color rating and it being set in a platinum setting, but the site says this would be a good selection for such a setting.

I would appreciate any recommendations or advise as to my choice. I know i am ''giving in'' a bit on the Symmetry and Girdle ratings, and i am just wondering if i am making the correct decision on what i am willing to bend on. I do know that the symmetry will affect the overall brilliance / fire of the diamond. However, i am not a diamond expert and don’t think i or she will notice all that much.

I have been told by my close friends that this would be a great buy, but what do they know

This is just really scary and a large amount of money for me to be spending on something so small. Any ideas ?...

Thanks

 

[lmurden]

G color is fabulous, but you might be able to go as low as an I color as long as it is well cut diamond. I would get the diamond first then inspect it to make sure that it is up your standing and then send it back to have it set into a setting of your choice.
I would advantage of Blue Nile''s excellent customer service and asking every question that you have no matter how many times you call. Good luck.

 

[JC]

I don't think that there is any reason for concern seeing that this diamond is a GIA graded "G" color. In the eyes of most customers a "G" can look much like an "F". So this diamond will be white. There's no doubt about that. Also, I would think that the diamond would also require a certain level of magnification seeing that this diamond has received a GIA "VS1" grade. The only aspects of the diamond that stood out to me was the table percentage and measurements. I would ask that someone take a look at the diamond seeing that the length to width ratio of the stone is a 1.08. Princess cuts that have a length to width ratio of 1.00-1.05 will look square in shape. So there may be a possibility that this diamond could look a little rectangular in shape. Also, a 77% table is fine, but you would gain more brilliance and sparkle from a princess cut if the table percentage was lower than that. Outside of those two aspects the diamond seems fine. Although, it never hurts to ask questions and see what others think. Good luck.....

 

[Arm123]

WOW!... you guys reply fast

I never would have thought about the aspect ratio. Good thing i asked ! I will re evaluate my selection.

Perhaps i will select a stone that is a H color but better cut from what you both have said.

makes me feel better...

thanks alot !

 

[Regular Guy]

Although the generally more conservative thought here is that you can''t typically tell by the numbers for most any non-round, princess included, how it will look by the numbers...since you hadn''t been asking about cut, I held my tongue. Even still, and despite Perry''s thread...within the last 48 hours I saw an idealscope for a princess that looked super, and laid no claim to being AGS0, and so who knows how important that really is.

But, with you raising cut as an issue, I would encourage you to read the previous and other threads on the influence of AGS0 here. Though you may prefer BN or a bit bigger size, to get AGS0''s imprimatur, for the same cost and 1.5 carats you could look here...

Regards,

 

[allycat0303]

Hi Arm123,

Congrats on your future purchase! I have an H round brilliant with medium flourescence. I can tell you that I really don''t see ANY hint, smidge of color, no matter which way I turn the loose stone. I doubt very much that setting it in platinum will be a problem. I also am not sure if you need a VS1, if budget and size is a concern. I think VS2 are very safe and S1 can be a fantastic buy if you can get a vendor to look at it and tell you that it is eye clean. Good luck on your purchase!

 

[jewelgirl]

I would also be concerned abt the 77% depth. From my research the better cut princess stones, that have the most sparkle for their shape have depth and table %''s that are very close to each other, and are close to 70%...like a 70/69, or a 72/71.

This of course, is not an expert opinion, but just from my research....

 

[Arm123]

hmm... i understand what you guys are saying. I guess if the stone is too shallow the light can not reflect out of the diamond properly.

I was also wondering... Is Fluorescence improtant in purchasing a diamond ? Because i notice the price drop about 1k for two stones which are almost identical except for the fluorescence.