Help -- buying engagement ring for girlfriend!

[GSV]

Hello all,

I have been looking for an engagement ring on and off for a few months now, and am now getting to get serious. I actually went to look at rings with my girlfriend yesterday! I am new to the diamond business and any guidance or suggestions that users on this forum have would be much appreciated. I can't log-in and post from work, so thank you in advance for any thoughts you may have.

In general, I am looking for a Round, 1.75 carat, F, VS1, Hearts and Arrows. I've looked around a bit myself and came up with the following:

1) http://www.bluenile.com/round-diamond-1-carat-signature-ideal-cut-f-color-vs1-clarity_LD01431283 (I am not sure if this is H&A, though, since I couldn't find this information on Blue Nile)

2) http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/4755/ (I like this but had a question on the different shades of red in the center of the "Arrows" image and was wondering about the "Medium" flourescence. Do either of these matter?)

3) http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2561973.htm (I like this one, too, but was worried / concerned about the green color in the center of the "Aset" image. Is this something to be worried about?)

Also, my girlfriend like a 1.75 carat stone on her finger more than a 2.0 carat stone. She's a petite girl and was worried that the 2.0 carat one stood out too much. I would actually prefer to buy a 2.0 carat ring. How would people analyze the difference between a 1.75 F, VS1, H&A vs. a 2.0 G, VS2, H&A? I would like to be in the same pricing zipcode for the 2.0 carat, hence the drop in color and clarity...Is it just better in general to buy 2+ carat rings? Does the increased size compensate for the drop in quality in your opinion?

Thank you very much. I really do appreciate any help you guys and gals can offer.

 

[Todd Gray]

I can't address questions pertaining to the specific vendors and/or questions pertaining to the H&A patterns, however I can address your other questions...

Medium blue fluorescence in an E color diamond? I usually LOVE it and almost every one of my personal diamonds has exhibited medium blue fluorescence... So nothing to be concerned about.

To better understand the blending of the of Red / Green colors in the center of the ASET image, you need to know what the different colors represent:

The different colors provided by the ASET image show the angles from which the diamond gathers light in a virtual hemisphere which is intended to represent the hemisphere which surrounds earth:

Green = 0° (the horizon) to 45°
Red = 45° to 75°
Blue = 75° to 90°
Black or White indicates leakage.

WHAT THE COLORS MEAN:

Red represents light coming from angles where there is likely to be bright, direct sources of illumination in most viewing environments. This color is dominant in the ASET image of a well-cut diamond.

Blue corresponds to light that normally is blocked by the viewer’s head and body. An ASET image with a moderate amount of this color in an attractive pattern means the diamond has good contrast.

Green is produced by low-angle light, which usually is reflected from walls or other objects in the surrounding area (rather than coming from direct sources). A diamond with a high cut quality may show small amounts of this color around the bezel area of the ASET image.

Note that when Red and Green areas appear mixed together in the center region of the diamond (above the culet) this simply indicates a kind of crossover between the sources of illumination within the realm of the 45° viewing angle.

 

[stone-cold11]

BN Signature Ideal is supposedly H&A but is not back up with any image, so I would not assume it is just based on the vendor's word.
http://www.bluenile.com/signature-ideal-round-diamonds
Nothing wrong with fluor, personal preference, at medium fluor strength you will not likely to see it in most situation anyway.https://www.pricescope.com/journal/blue_fluorescence_diamonds

 

[tyty333]

How small are your GFs fingers? I would rather drop color/clarity and go with a 2 carat. On PS we have something called
DSS (Diamond Shrinkage Syndrome). For some girls it can kick in even before the wedding date...for others it takes much
longer. Just seems like when you get used to seeing whatever size stone you have on your finger you always wish you went
bigger. (there are a few people this doesnt apply to though I dont know any )

From the ones you listed above the whiteflash stone would be my favorite.

 

[slg47]

I like the WF one. I also think you would get points for listening to your GF and getting her what she wants (1.75 vs 2 carat).