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Help! 1.80-2.30ct H-J SI1.. Decisions decisions!

M

MeghanKate

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jun 29, 2013
Messages
4
Admittedly,I am a novice.. As much as I'd like to think I'm pretty well-educated, I come on here and am quickly reminded how little I actually know! That being said, I am looking for help on a more basic level.

My bf and I have narrowed our options down to 2... For now. And we're stuck! We just aren't sure what we SHOULD be paying for diamonds with the following specs:

1.80ct
J color
SI1 clarity
VG cut
GIA cert
$12,500

OR

2.27ct
H color
SI1 clarity
Excellent cut
EGL
$11,900

I know the primary differences that go along with GIA VS EGL, and truthfully I find the EGL diamond to be just beautiful.. But that could just be that I have a hard time not being impressed by one of its size! :love:

Just looking for a little feedback! Also, these were both found on Jewelers Row in Chicago. Would we have better luck online?
 
I wouldn't buy a very good cut diamond. Do you have pictures and lab reports? I don't know what to say about the EGL stone, but I've heard that their grading is pretty loose compared to GIA and AGS. What's your budget?
 
I would shop online. Cut is most important. You want to buy from a place that you can find a stone at a good price with a great cut and that can show you how well the stone performs.

These are just a handful of the things you can find online.
Just few I like, especially the avr (the first one), which you may not have heard of, but if you look into them (on here and their website) you can see they are pretty awesome, and look good in lower colors.

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/9902/


http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/10248/
 
He would like to keep it under $13,000 in terms of budget. And after doing some lengthy searching on this forum, I know that it is possible to find what I am looking for in this price range.

More or less I would like it to be 1.70 - 2.0 ct (give or take) with no lower than SI1 clarity.

I am beginning to learn a ton more about the importance of cut and could probably use a crash course in why one wouldn't purchase anything but an Excellent cut diamond. Because the average person hears "very good" and thinks that's great!

Will he have better luck with his options if he looks online with some reputable vendors? Help!
 
You can get a 1.7-1.9ct GIA ex/ex/ex J/SI1 within your budget. Go do a quick search on James Allen.
 
I've never seen a K color diamond in person, or anything lower than a J for that matter.
Is it weird that going lower makes me nervous?

Who are the most reputable online vendors that we can shop with?
Right now I know of James Allen, Whiteflash, B2C, and Brian Gavin

This is far more overwhelming that I ever thought it would be!
 
MeghanKate|1372691445|3475354 said:
I've never seen a K color diamond in person, or anything lower than a J for that matter.
Is it weird that going lower makes me nervous?

Who are the most reputable online vendors that we can shop with?
Right now I know of James Allen, Whiteflash, B2C, and Brian Gavin

This is far more overwhelming that I ever thought it would be!
Click to expand...


Well that's an easy fix. Go to a reputable jeweler that sells gia and AGS stones and ask to see Some UK's in the 2ct range. And don't let them talk you out of it or show itto you on a white ppaper to show you "oh how dreadfully tinted it is.... ". Look at it face up and indoors and in natural lighting.

I have a k. Its smaller but I love the color!!

I've worked with wf and ja. Both amazing. I've nearly wormed with BG and loved their customer service. Never worked with BC so dont know.
 
MeghanKate|1372691445|3475354 said:
I've never seen a K color diamond in person, or anything lower than a J for that matter.
Is it weird that going lower makes me nervous?

Who are the most reputable online vendors that we can shop with?
Right now I know of James Allen, Whiteflash, B2C, and Brian Gavin

This is far more overwhelming that I ever thought it would be!
Click to expand...

You can look up a lot of threads on here because there are quite a few K color owners who love their stones and say they face up pretty white. The video does a great job of showing how white the stone looks...you can also see it in person and send it back if you don't like it. I'm color sensitive, but K is ok. There are even those with L, M and N colored stones that say they face up white most of the time. Anyways, it's up to you, but if you're interested in it, I'd put it on hold.

I wouldn't call B2C a "reputable" vendor. JA, WF, BG, ID Jewelry, and GOG are the one's I'd consider "reputable".
 
04diamond<3|1372694215|3475376 said:
MeghanKate|1372691445|3475354 said:
I've never seen a K color diamond in person, or anything lower than a J for that matter.
Is it weird that going lower makes me nervous?

Who are the most reputable online vendors that we can shop with?
Right now I know of James Allen, Whiteflash, B2C, and Brian Gavin

This is far more overwhelming that I ever thought it would be!
Click to expand...

You can look up a lot of threads on here because there are quite a few K color owners who love their stones and say they face up pretty white. The video does a great job of showing how white the stone looks...you can also see it in person and send it back if you don't like it. I'm color sensitive, but K is ok. There are even those with L, M and N colored stones that say they face up white most of the time. Anyways, it's up to you, but if you're interested in it, I'd put it on hold.

I wouldn't call B2C a "reputable" vendor. JA, WF, BG, ID Jewelry, and GOG are the one's I'd consider "reputable".
Click to expand...


I am color " sensitve". But I actually prefer a color in that range. My " tolerance" is difference. Just because you can see the softness in color doesn't automatically mean you don't like it. De beers tries to say stones have to be a certain color to be attractive, but that's not true. Don't be too bogged down with what color it is. You just have to make a determination for YOURSELF if you like it or not.


I agree I'd probably just but it and get it home and really take a lot of time with it in all lighting environments. See his you feel.
 
Color in diamonds is graded by viewing through the pavilion. Since nobody that I know would set a 2.00 CT diamond upside down, color becomes less of an issue for some people. Many people cannot even detect color in a diamond until the color approaches "J" color. A "K" color may be noticeable when compared directly to other diamonds. If you are thinking about having accent diamonds in the setings, then color matching may be an issue.

Shopping for an excellent cut is a safe way to be sure the diamond performs the way you expect. Very noticeable cut problems don't severly manifest unless something is way outside of the norm, like the "nail head" effect of a pavilion that is too deep or the "fish eye" effect of a small crown angle that allows the reflection of the girdle to be visible from the table facet.
 
All of the PS vendors seem very knowledgeable with great selections. It will come down to deciding what your personal preference is. Does size matter more than clarity to you?
 
Just curious why you consider some PS vendors "reputable" and not others? Unless you are looking for a branded diamond like Hearts On Fire or something, all of the PS vendors seem capable of locating a wide range of choices. B2C actually has a new feature that I really like. Have you checked out their "diamond blueprint" reports? They are amazing, in my opinion.
 
If you were happy with the GIA J color you saw, I would recommend sticking with J color. People here can post excellent stones for you within your budget. If J SI1 is your preference, then people can focus on that.

This is a great choice at $13,340 and will give you VS2 clarity. This size just under 2 cts is not easy to find. And it is a MUCH better stone for the money than the first stone you posted.

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/10863/
 
i agree you can get a nice stone for a J si1, but im just saying, costs nothing to go to a local store and look at a K, and who knows, you might like it....

then you can hit that magic 2ct mark. And if you dont, youve lost nother in going and looking at a few GIA diamonds.
 
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