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First time purchase help needed for engagement (princess)

T

thewatcher

Rough_Rock
Joined
Mar 1, 2013
Messages
10
Hey guys,
So im planning on proposing really soon and have been searching around for weeks. I finally settled on a setting at a local supplier that will mount the diamond i purchase for me. Here is the setting:
http://www.crownring.com/item-breanna-breanna-elite-sku-DR-3065-S100

Now the last thing i am missing is the very important diamond. a lot of recommendations were to come to this forum for advice since they said this is the best community online for diamonds bar none! :)

I am looking for a princess cut diamond. Size doesn't have to be too big as my future fiance has tiny fingers. I'd be happy between 0.8 and 0.9c. Budget is between 3,500$ and 4,500$ for the diamond alone although i would like to stay around 4,000$. I am looking for the best quality princess cut i can find for that price.

I found a few on bluenile and would like some opinions:

http://www.bluenile.com/ca/diamond-search?track=NavDiaSea#diamonds_pid=LD03170088
http://www.bluenile.com/ca/diamond-search?track=NavDiaSea#diamonds_pid=LD03083764
http://www.bluenile.com/ca/diamond-search?track=NavDiaSea#diamonds_pid=LD03173357
http://www.bluenile.com/ca/diamond-search?track=NavDiaSea#diamonds_pid=LD03140405
http://www.bluenile.com/ca/diamond-search?track=NavDiaSea#diamonds_pid=LD03130594

I saw this one on JA as well but a bit on the igher end of budget and not sure its really better than the BN ones.
http://www.jamesallen.com/#!/loose-diamonds/princess-cut/0.83-carat-D-color-VVS2-clarity-sku-184836

Sorry i didn't paste the full specs i figured the post would be too long but i will gladly do so if you need.
The diamonds specs are pretty similar with slight variations, but i'm not sure which factor is more important when it comes to princess cut. I know the 4Cs but i don't know which weigh more important when it comes to a princess cut.
Cut? Color? Clarity? Ratio? Symmetry?

Any help would really be greatly appreciated. I want my gf to really love the ring so i really wanna achieve perfection. Thanks a lot in advance everyone :)
 
Re: First time purchase help needed for engagement (princess

thewatcher|1362198906|3394302 said:
I saw this one on JA as well but a bit on the igher end of budget and not sure its really better than the BN ones.
Click to expand...
The problem is one usually needs more information than BN provides.

So long as you know that a D IF and an H SI2 can be indistinguishable to the naked eye most of the time, here you go for colorless VVS, they are all at least 5 mm average side, in order of surface area, smallest to largest:

http://www.jamesallen.com/#!/loose-diamonds/princess-cut/0.76-carat-E-color-VVS2-clarity-sku-198265
http://www.jamesallen.com/#!/loose-diamonds/princess-cut/0.79-carat-E-color-VVS2-clarity-sku-148353
http://www.jamesallen.com/#!/loose-diamonds/princess-cut/0.75-carat-D-color-VVS1-clarity-sku-183423
http://www.jamesallen.com/#!/loose-diamonds/princess-cut/0.79-carat-F-color-VVS1-clarity-sku-176613
http://www.jamesallen.com/#!/loose-diamonds/princess-cut/0.77-carat-F-color-VVS2-clarity-sku-167312
http://www.jamesallen.com/#!/loose-diamonds/princess-cut/0.90-carat-F-color-VVS2-clarity-sku-200656

Others that are not D-F VVS:
http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/princess-cut-loose-diamond-2835507.htm
http://goodoldgold.com/diamond/10314/
http://goodoldgold.com/diamond/10318/
http://www.jamesallen.com/#!/loose-diamonds/princess-cut/0.80-carat-H-color-VVS1-clarity-sku-195978
 
Re: First time purchase help needed for engagement (princess

Thanks for the links.
I know not a lot of people don't recomend buying from BN because they dont' have actual pictures, but if i'm going for VVS2 and above should it matter much since the inclusiions are minimal or non existent?

Also i never really thought about surface area. is it always better to try and maximize the surface area for a princess cut? For example would say a 0.78c with a bigger surface area look bigger than a 0.82c with smaller surface area?
 
Re: First time purchase help needed for engagement (princess

PIctures are to evaluate cut quality, not inclusions.

Good Old Gold and Whiteflash specialize in ideal cut diamonds, and James Allen will have their staff review it for cut quality.

A heavier stone with the same surface area as a lighter stone will still look bigger, but from the side view, not the top.
 
Re: First time purchase help needed for engagement (princess

thanks for the help, i've narrowed it down to these 4 with the main difference listed below only. Any thoughts please?
The price difference is not a big issue between these, i just wanna get the best looking and quality diamond (that looks the biggest :naughty: )
The 2nd one would have been first but the symetry is Good only instead of Very Good so its throwing me off. The JA one seems like an excellent choice as well but its 0.79c instead of 0.80+ i was looking for lol. psychological thing hehe

1st choice
http://www.bluenile.com/ca/diamond-search?filter_id=0&pt=sig#diamonds_pid=LD03083764
0.80c
IF
surface: 5.18 x 5.15
sym is Very Good
4,071$

2nd choice
http://www.bluenile.com/ca/diamond-search?filter_id=0&pt=sig#diamonds_pid=LD03131906
0.83C
VVS1
surface: 5.25x519
Sym is only Good
3,989$

3rd choice
http://www.jamesallen.com/#!/loose-diamonds/princess-cut/0.79-carat-F-color-VVS1-clarity-sku-176613
0.79c
VVS1
surface: 5.06 x 5.03
Sym is Very Good
3,740$

4th choice
http://www.bluenile.com/ca/diamond-search?filter_id=0&pt=sig#diamonds_pid=LD03193922
0.85c
VVS2
surface 5.27 x x5.19
sym is Very Good
4,172$
 
Re: First time purchase help needed for engagement (princess

bump for some last minute needed help :oops:
 
Re: First time purchase help needed for engagement (princess

Need pictures. need ASET.
 
Re: First time purchase help needed for engagement (princess

JulieN|1362430244|3396137 said:
Need pictures. need ASET.
Click to expand...

Are you not seeing her posts??? We usually don't recommend buying from BN for rounds let alone FANCY cuts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How in the world are we supposed to tell you which to buy we don't even know what it looks like!!! If you're going to buy a princess, you NEED to know what it looks like before spending the money. BN does NOT give you an aset image and even if you didn't have pictures, you AT LEAST NEED AN ASET.

JulieN has been here a long time so she knows what she's talking about. I'm sorry you don't like what we're saying, but this is how we advise people.
 
Re: First time purchase help needed for engagement (princess

Woa im sorry if i offended you. I never disrespected JulieN and i don't doubt her knowledge given her post count and willingness to help other out so please calm down.

The dillemma i am in is the other more recommended sources don't have the specs i was looking for and BN did, so i was looking to see to which degree was it worth compromising on some specs in order to go for those recommended sources such as JA. If you check my top 4 in my last post, JA is actually in there in order to give me a better idea on what everyone on here thinks. Sure if JA or any of the other sources had the specs i wanted to would do it without hesitation.
 
Re: First time purchase help needed for engagement (princess

Wasn't offended, just thinking of how many people come on here say they're lurkers, but I guess don't read what we're saying? :confused: What color expectations do you have?

I think you're paying too much for color and clarity. On a princess you can go down to H and still be fine. VS2 and VS1 is also good clarity.

things I found:

http://www.jamesallen.com/#!/loose-diamonds/princess-cut/0.91-carat-F-color-VS1-clarity-sku-201568
http://www.jamesallen.com/#!/loose-diamonds/princess-cut/0.96-carat-G-color-VVS2-clarity-sku-200315 ( a hair deep)
http://www.jamesallen.com/#!/loose-diamonds/princess-cut/1.00-carat-F-color-SI1-clarity-sku-168497
http://www.jamesallen.com/#!/loose-diamonds/princess-cut/1.00-carat-F-color-SI1-clarity-sku-159497

JA will give you aset images on 3.
 
Re: First time purchase help needed for engagement (princess

basically, i do not mind your search for high clarity/color, because it is pretty hard to get a 1 ct princess for 4000, anyway, and the tradeoffs (like I/J color or SI2) might not be worth it to you.

However, what is most important is the cut. It is not easy to find ideal-cut princesses, either, so it would be widen your pool of options if you relaxed your requirements a little (like G/H color and VS clarity) would expand your candidates immensely, especially if you are looking for something a little bigger (like a 5.2 mm size.)
 
Re: First time purchase help needed for engagement (princess

Hey guys thanks for the advice, I didn't need anything too big either the lady has small fingers, i was looking between 0.8 and 0.85. Thanks to your recommendations i requested 2 ASET from JA and i'll take it from there. The first was recommended by Julie, and the second i "relaxed" the requirements a bit and went with a VS1 in order to get 0.8c instead. Should i post the ASETs here when i get them? I also told them to ask the gemologist which of the 2 he'd recommend in terms of quality of diamond.

Here are the 2:
http://www.jamesallen.com/?gclid=CMjbkOuH5rUCFc0-MgodtFcAmg#!/loose-diamonds/princess-cut/0.79-carat-F-color-VVS1-clarity-sku-176613
5.06*5.03*3.67

http://www.jamesallen.com/?gclid=CMjbkOuH5rUCFc0-MgodtFcAmg#!/loose-diamonds/princess-cut/0.80-carat-D-color-VS1-clarity-sku-194225
5.18*5.28*3.74
 
Re: First time purchase help needed for engagement (princess

oops here are the prices:
3740$ for the 0.79c vvs1/F vs 4010$ for the 0.8c vs1/D
 
 
Re: First time purchase help needed for engagement (princess

#1 should be the brightest.
 
Re: First time purchase help needed for engagement (princess

JulieN|1363215588|3404299 said:
Ideal cut princesses have better ASETs, #1 is good; not amazing, better than average. I got the feeling from your posts you preferred colorless VVS over lower grades?

Compare to this: http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.856-d-si1-princess-diamond-ags-10406290102
Click to expand...

yep that's the case.
that URL was invalid but i searched for some on that site and some ASETs do have a ton more red than the ones i got from JA. I'm really conflicted on what to do here. I was hoping to get a great cut :(
 
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