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Going on deployment, and need your help!

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kujayhawks

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Apr 9, 2008
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I have been lurking on this site for quite some time now, and the amount of information is amazing. However there seems to be so many factors to consider, it''s almost to much to digest at times.

I am going on deployment for 6+ months, and am in the market now for an engagement ring.

Some of the questions I have are

I have no problem buying online, and would actually perfer this but when buying a loose diamond is it hard to get it set locally, or is it just easier to buy the diamond already set online?

Budget is 4-5K, I guess I want just a princess cut, 1 carat, eye clean. is this possible?

I really would just like a nice one carat diamond on a nice simple white gold band which doesnt look terrible?

Any help is greatly appreciated, thanks in advance.
 
At the very top of the pricescope page there is a diamond search. Search for In-House and see what it turns up. GOG and WF are pretty highly recommended on this site.
 
First, make sure she wants a princess cut. If she''s mentioned them, or how much she likes her friends'' square stoned rings, then you''re good to go. Personally, they''re not my thing, but to each her own!

If you''re sure this is what she wants, it''s totally possible, as long as you guys don''t have your minds fixed on D-F color AND VS clarity. Now, most people really can''t see the difference between the true "colorless" grades (D-F) and the "near-colorless" (H-J), and the better cut the stone, the less apparent any "warmth" (best description I''ve heard of I-K colored diamonds) is.

Here''s a gorgeous one just over a carat from Whiteflash (where I will probably be getting my e-ring, in order to save my German fiance a ton of Euro):

I color, VS2 (VERY clean, even at a crazy level of magnification) $4255

http://www.whiteflash.com/aca_princess/A-Cut-Above-Princess-cut-diamond-617013.htm

And another:

http://www.whiteflash.com/princess/Princess-cut-diamond-40108.htm#

It''s an I color, VS1 $4520 (and though not in their top range cut-wise, I think it''s the prettier stone - something about how the facets look)

The simplest 14k white gold setting for fancy (non-round) stones is $295. If you want 18k white gold, the listing says that''s available, too, though probably at extra cost.

The main places people here buy their stuff from will happily set the stone you pick out from them for you, and probably at a lower cost than your local jeweler, especially if you just want a plain setting. Having the place you buy it from set it is an especially good idea in case something goes wrong during the setting (which is even more likely with a princess cut than it is with regular round brilliant). If the company you buy the stone from damages it while they are setting it, it''s their loss. If you have somewhere else set it, it could become a hassle to get compensation for the loss, and you seem like a guy who doens''t have time for hassles!

I''ll tell you now that the PX is NOT where you want to buy something like this. Mine here in Germany wanted $9000 for a rather unastounding H/I, VS2 1ct round. Great ones can be gotten from Whiteflash, Good Old Gold, James Allen or Winfield''s (and probably others; those are just the main places I''ve looked) for much less.

Note: all the online shops I talked to are pretty helpful about shipping to APO (though probaby not downrange!!!), if that''s where the military takes you.

Take care of yourself and good luck!
 
Hello kujay,
welcome!
may I ask you don''t sound totally sure about the princess cut? Have you considered other square shapes?
As an example there''s another poster who is new and looking for something simliar a 1ct princess - he just took a visit to Good Old Gold in Long Island and instead discovered a great cut they have called the Princess of Hearts. Many people think these stones offer a great combo as they have the square shape of a princess diamond, however they have much better optics and will out perform a princess most of the time for sparkle etc.
Here is a link to the other thread with some links to PoH stones he''s looking at https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/please-help.82349/.
GOG is widely recommended on here, just do a little search if you want some background. Here is a link to their site, you will find More info than you need to choose a great diamond, and you can also watch videos of different shapes such as the PoH http://www.goodoldgold.com/Home/

Incase you''re wondering, yes I have recently purchased my own PoH and couldn''t be more happy with it plus the service I received from GOG - as you can tell I''m a bit of a fan!

I think you''re budget is definately reasonable, but have you decided on what kind of colour/clarity is ideal for you? The type of setting you want will also play into the end cost?
I just had a quick look on GOG and they don''t have any PoH 1ct on their site right now, however I would just place a call to Jonathan there - he is the diamond specialist and fanatic and will be able to find you something suitable no matter what cut you want.

I hope you don''t mind me suggesting other cuts, i just seemed to notice you didn''t seem sure about the princess? If thats what you want though than I would definatley ask Whiteflash or GOG for some AGS or GIA graded princesses to check out too.
Good luck!
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A couple other quick questions. Is there a "breakpoint" like say, you spend x amount of dollars, and that is where you would get the most bang for you buck, like say over $6K you get a much better diamond for say $5K. Are there certain tiers of prices to quality???

I really like the PoH, I am going to look into it, but some sites dont even list price, are they that much higher???

Thanks again, I am almost ready to make my purchase!!! Pictures to follow soon!

Thanks PS
 
Hi again hawks,
With the prices not listed for GOG stones - if you actually click on "reserve diamond" at the top of the listing for that stone, it will take you to another page where you can see the prices. Remember to take off a lil bit more for PS bankwire discount if its not listed
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Don''t worry, it doesn''t mean you''re commitiing to it and the diamond is still available for others to see until you decide to put a deposit. I found it was a good way to keep a "boomark" of fave stones while searching.

With regards to your other questions, there are price jumps with each significant carat weight reached. eg. 0.5, 0.75, 1ct etc. There are more inbetween but I can''t remember accurately. Garry H (cutnut) has posted about these a couple of times, perhaps you''ll be able to find it?

Many people feel if you''re aiming for a 1ct with a strict budget, its a great idea to find something in the 0.89-0.99 sort of range - without hitting that "magical" 1ct mark the stone won''t have that extra mark up. And anything in the 90points range as long as its great cut you most likely will not be able to see the difference between that and the 1ct once its set. Also looking in H/I colour range and SI clarity will get you the most bang for your buck. The stone I just purchsed is I SI1 and I think thats a great spot (as long as eyeclean of course). I should have pics any moment now so will link you when I do
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When it comes to finding a setting, we can also make some suggestions on settings that maximise size if thats your goal - bezels and halos are a couple that come to mind. However a simple WG solitaire as you mentioned is a very nice and classic choice - one that comes to mind from GOG is the vatche X prong - they really are lovely quality.

I''m glad you like the Poh, I think its a great cut.
Pls do ask if you have any more queries.
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Hey, hawks! Don't forget to ask which ever vendor you end up going with if they will do a discount for Active Duty Military! Many of them will give you one on top of the Pricescope discount, and being a military wife myself, I know every little bit helps!

I know others have already recommended Whiteflash and Good Old Gold (we bought from GOG), a couple of others to consider are Pearlmans and Signed Pieces. Bill Pearlman is an awesome guy and the folks at Signed Pieces are awesome as well. We got a 10% discount off of my setting through Signed Pieces
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Plus, when buying online, you don't have to pay sales tax!

Anyway, Good Luck with your proposal and more importantly your deployment. My hubby is currently in the midst of a 15 month deployment and just left back to the sand from R&R this morning
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Wishing you much safety, thanks and God Bless.
 
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