Help a First Time Diamond Buyer

[joedpeterson]

Hi all,

I have been reading the articles on this site and browsing the forums for a few weeks now, and I need to start seriously looking for a diamond for an engagement ring. My girlfriend wants a round diamond that is *very sparkly*, eye clean, and 1-carat if possible. My budget for the diamond is $5,000.

Based on what she wants and what I have read, I have been looking at Ideal cut diamonds, VS2 and up, and D-G color. I have not found diamonds at 1 carat that satisfy these requirements. The diamond does not have to be 1 carat, but I am not sure if she would appreciated a smaller, but higher quality diamond.

1. Could I drop the clarity down to SI, and still ge a diamond that is eye clean?
2. How much difference is there going to be if I lower the color down to H?
3. Is there really a visible difference between Ideal cut, and just below Ideal?

Sorry if these questions have been asked before.

 

[belle]

welcome joedpeterson!

glad you found us.

you have a GREAT budget and you will be able to find a stunning diamond

Date: 6/11/2007 9:36:50 AM
Author:joedpeterson

1. Could I drop the clarity down to SI, and still ge a diamond that is eye clean?

absolutely. yes, yes, yes. i am a big fan of si clarity diamonds. with a good si diamond, it will not only be eye clean, but you sometimes have a hard time finding inclusions with a loupe! just make sure you are dealing with a good grading lab (ags or gia) and a great vendor that can look at the diamond itself.

Date: 6/11/2007 9:36:50 AM
Author:joedpeterson

2. How much difference is there going to be if I lower the color down to H?

not much at all in that size. if you want to be totally ''safe'' colorwise though, going with ''g'' is a safe bet. personally, in diamonds under 1ct., i would not hesitate going down to ''j'' a well cut diamond will be so sparkly, the ''color'' is really hard to perceive.

Date: 6/11/2007 9:36:50 AM
Author:joedpeterson

3. Is there really a visible difference between Ideal cut, and just below Ideal?

this is a hard question to answer because ''ideal'' has no standard definition in the industry. one jewelers ''ideal'' might be anothers ''good''. look for a well cut diamond from a reputable vendor and you will be all good.
here''s a great search tool to use: http://www.pricescope.com/sift.aspx don''t limit yourself on color/clarity. make the search wide open and see what''s available and then make your decision on where to ''compromise'' if needed.

best of luck!

 

[Regular Guy]

Date: 6/11/2007 9:36:50 AM
Author:joedpeterson


1. Could I drop the clarity down to SI, and still ge a diamond that is eye clean?

work with a good vendor, and here you can pretty reliably get one you want that''s eye clean.
2. How much difference is there going to be if I lower the color down to H?

Some...not a lot. SI 1 vs H would be my choice...since it will be hard to get: a) over a carat, b) G & c) VS2. You can get 2 out of 3.

3. Is there really a visible difference between Ideal cut, and just below Ideal?

Though it depends on what you call ideal...perhaps consider not sacrificing here...as you don''t really need to.

 

[Lorelei]

Welcome to PS

Thritto everything Belle and Ira have said, I just wanted to add don't go by labels such as Ideal cut when looking at diamonds. Sometimes it doesn't always mean very much or guarantee you a well cut rock. Each diamond has to be considered individually, hence where the numbers are very useful and Idealscope images if available etc. We often see the Superideal cut diamonds here which are probably the cream of the crop cut and performancewise, however many other diamonds with certain proportions can be extremely good performers and might be well worth consideration. As Belle and Ira say, look for a diamond from a trusted PS vendor makes finding contenders easier.

 

[aljdewey]

You have a great budget and you absolutely can get a beautiful stone that hits the 1 ct range.

As others have mentioned, you can easily go down to SI1 (or even SI2 as long as you work with a good vendor who has the diamond in hand and can visually examine it for you to make sure it''s eyeclean). As Belle noted, in that size, you can go down as far as J and still face up beautifully white.

Here are a few stones that I think would be excellent choices:

1.02 G, SI1 for $4943 (ps price) - GORGEOUS photos and numbers;

1.02 H, SI1 for $5146 (ps price) - photos suggest it''s eyeclean, but a quick call would confirm.

1.01 G, SI2 for $4231 (ps price) - photos look VERY clean....again call to vendor would confirm.

 

[Regular Guy]

Adding on to Al''s suggestions...when you determine for yourself you don''t need VS2 (which you can stil get with this .93 G), there''s at least one more to consider, too...a 1.03 G at $4947, wire priced....

 

[Jenn5504]

Everyone has different comfort levels with color and clarity. I for one am ok with J SI stones! I think either way though, you''re plenty safe with an H color (GIA or AGS) and SI clarity. Just have a vendor check it out for you. I''d say go for ideal cut, too, to maximize the beauty of the rock!

 

[Gypsy]

Personally, I would call Whiteflash and James Allen immediately. Ask them to pull the diamonds everyone has suggested for you, Ask them to eye ball them ask for a COMPLETELY eyeclean stone (as what you can see from the side as well) and the best and brightest of the bunch... then put it on hold. Lurkers will steal diamonds around here. Then I would post your final two on here... and we will tell you which to buy.

 

[kcoursolle]

Keep the ideal cut, don''t drop on that. This is what really determines a diamonds sparkle. It''s definitely possible to find a very eye clean SI1 or even an eye clean SI2, but I might stay in the SI1 range if you are worried about it. H color is still very white, no worries there!

 

[Finding_Neverland]

Date: 6/11/2007 1:00:30 PM
Author: Gypsy
Personally, I would call Whiteflash and James Allen immediately. Ask them to pull the diamonds everyone has suggested for you, Ask them to eye ball them ask for a COMPLETELY eyeclean stone (as what you can see from the side as well) and the best and brightest of the bunch... then put it on hold. Lurkers will steal diamonds around here. Then I would post your final two on here... and we will tell you which to buy.

That is sooooooo true!!

I''ve been looking for quite some time for a well matched pair of stones for studs.

Finally found a pair that I liked. Was gonna call about. Before I even had a chance to call and ask about them, someone else on PS liked them too and posted about them. Poof!! The diamonds were gone. Neither one of us PS''ers got those.

This time,....... When I found a pair of stones I liked, I called WF,........ Spoke with Lesley,......... And had those diamonds put on hold. Gave me a chance to show them to Hubby. And I was also able to get a moment to speak with Brian Gavin about the diamonds.

Phew!

 

[joedpeterson]

Can I get everyone''s opinions on this diamond

http://www.whiteflash.com/diamonds/diamond_details.aspx?idno=283333

I called whiteflash and it is eye clean.

For the ring I am looking at the 6 prong tiffany style setting from Whiteflash. Would you reccomend the white gold, white gold with platinum tips, or the platinum. Will the white gold eventually wear down?

Thanks for any help.

 

[Lorelei]

I have seen this rock before and it is a winner!

 

[Gypsy]

If you can, I would go for the modified Whiteflash Tiffany setting that some wonderful person to the time to develop with Whiteflash (Thread is called My story??? I think) and get it in platinum. If the price of platinum is too high... WG with Platinum tips.

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-story.62353/ Has the setting I was talking about.