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Help choosing a small round diamond.

A

akaYoshi

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jun 11, 2015
Messages
10
Hi guys :wavey: , Ill be asking my girlfriend the big question in about a month and for about two weeks ive been doing research about diamonds and learning about the 4cs, going thru websites over and over again,learning about Depth and table sizes etc.(Boy I din't know there was that much to a diamond.)

Anyways,after looking thru BL,WF,JA countless times, I have narrowed it down to this three little diamons from WF.
http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/compare.aspx?idnos=3222859,3402076,3402075

My budget right now is really tight, so im looking for a diamond no more than $1,000, a bit less will be better since I still need to get the setting and I am for sure set to get her a Platinum one and will probably upgrade to a bigger diamond later on. Please, if you guys can look at those options and tell me what you think,which diamond will be the best? I know it will be a small little guy but I also want it to look nice for the big day and days to come. :))

Please feel free to suggest other diamonds from the same or other two websites. Thank you.

Summary

1.$1,000 budget just diamond. :oops:
2.Caret: atleast .25 ct
3.Color:G and up
4.Cut: top two cut
5.Clarity: SI1 and up(eye clean)

P.s Well Im off to bed,cant do that graveyard shift without sleeping. :wall:. Cant wait to see those answers later.Thank you again.
 
Reconsider. At that budget it's still possible to obtain a well-cut, traditionally sized diamond (0.50 carat and up). Give up some on the color/clarity. Up the size and buy from a good vendor who emphasizes cut.

Size and cut make the great first impression, that's all that most people will see. Color and clarity are secondary. I'd strongly consider a search for a mostly eyeclean I1 diamond. They exist.
 
If you're looking at a $1k price point at Whiteflash, here is the option I would choose:

.423ct, I, SI1
http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3449661.htm

This is only if you are willing to consider stones lower than G. At this size, an I-colored stone might be a very good choice, as it is about .5mm larger (relatively significant at this size) than the options you had linked.
 
Are you just getting the most basic platinum solitaire setting or something else?

And ita absolutely needs to be a round?

Answer these and I'll come back with ideas

Dont apologize for your budget. Everyone has one, well make sure you get a great ring :)
 
http://www.goodoldgold.com/ecommerce/0-43-ct-f-si2-superior-hearts-and-arrows-cut-round-round-diamond.html

Another option from Good Old Gold. 0.43 carat F/SI2, Hearts and Arrows, AGS Ideal light performance. On sale for $870.

At this size of center diamond make sure to use a halo setting. Will improve finger coverage immensely.

My opinion is you don't need platinum. 18k white gold is fine. If you buy a platinum setting it most likely won't be possible to upgrade to a larger diamond later, while sticking with the same setting. Larger diamonds require bigger settings. So don't waste cash on a setting thinking you'll upgrade the center stone later.

Put the money into getting a bigger diamond now.
 
Hi akaYoshi :wavey:

Firstly, you need to understand that small diamonds have a character of their own not common to larger stones; they're very forgiving. A J colored .5ct diamond is a different kettle of fish to a 2ct J colored stone. SI1/2 clarity on a .5 (or smaller, obviously) stone is completely different to that same clarity on a large stone. For that reason, feel free to drop your parameters considerably and take advantage of the benefits of buying a smaller stone!

For someone on a tight budget, I always recommend Blue Nile. I find your dollar goes furthest with them, and they have an excellent return policy. They also now allow upgrades. They don't offer things like ASETs and Idealscopes, but you can still buy a beautiful stone without those things if you do your due diligence. They're also FAST - and that can keep the stress to a minimum.

For those reasons, I would go with a stone like this:

http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD05939143

It has strong fluorescence, which will probably whiten its look a little, and it's a good standard size to go in a pre-made ring.

I would suggest a setting something like this:

http://www.bluenile.com/build-your-own-ring/halo-diamond-engagement-ring-14k-white-gold_20399?elem=img&track=product

It's not platinum, but it's very pretty. I'm attaching a photo of a ring which is very similar to what I'm suggesting. It has a J VS2 stone in it - the same as I'm recommending for you - but this one is slightly smaller than the one I linked to for you. This ring setting is $650, I believe, and the cheapest platinum rings start at about $70 cheaper. So you could get a halo setting for your stone and really knock her socks off! The other advantage of a halo setting is that you won't see a side view of the center stone. This is an easy and effective way of completely hiding any tint in your center stone. Tint is most noticeable from the side, so a setting like this would allow you to drop your color with confidence.

Lastly, the cut on the stone I'm giving you as an example is a GIA triple ex. It's not a perfect cut, but it's a very nicely cut stone with very good stats. it gets a 2.4 on the HCA, which means 'worth buying if the price is right' - which this definitely is!

I think a combination such of this would give you a classy, good quality, substantial ring which your girl would love.

Good luck to you both!

bn_halo_setting_a.jpg
 
Niel|1434060690|3888064 said:
Are you just getting the most basic platinum solitaire setting or something else?

And ita absolutely needs to be a round?

Answer these and I'll come back with ideas

Dont apologize for your budget. Everyone has one, well make sure you get a great ring :)
Click to expand...
yes I want to go for a basic solitarire.and yea I want a round diamond.

I keep going back to BL because there platinum basic it's pretty cheap.I just don't like how I can't see the diamond.other places I can see the diamond but there basic platinum rings are like $100 or more.
 
Sorry I take so long to reply.

It's my first time buying a diamond so I can't say how different color looks in person.I don't mind going below G just as long as it looks white and eye clean.

Also I don't mind the size of the diamond between .25 and .50 will be nice,plus, my girlfriend will probably think im crazy for even spending over 1000 dollars on a ring,lol, but I just want it to look pretty and shiny. And if we do decide to upgrade later I know we won't be upgrading to something over 5k, she probably won't want to at all.

Ty again for helping.
 
You have a few good diamond choices already found for you. I would also give IDJewelryOnline a call (it will be faster if you call). They have been known to put great looking rings together on tight budgets & have an upgrade policy.
It's a brand name...but the prices you see are often discounted. Just ask what they would charge for the platinum version.
http://www.idjewelry.com/engagement-rings/engagement-pave/victorian-pave-set-round-diamond-setting-with-millgrain-set-in-14kt-white-gold-0-21ctw.html

What is your entire budget? Did I read correctly that the stone is $1000 or less? And the setting is what?? You say you want platinum but are you ok with another metal choice? Halo option? Whats her finger size? I found a few settings I think may work for you.

If you can stretch your budget & don't mind pre-own... Here is one a PSr is selling....$1500.. Awesome price. It will buff out like new.
** Also a great price is the matching band for $200 extra. Ring can be authenticated at Tiffany.
http://loupetroop.com/listings/rings-natural-diamond-center/tiffany-and-co-solitaire-60-carats-size-6-dot-5
*** This is a great opportunity**

I found a setting on James Allen taking into consideration you prefer Platinum ( but would be a good idea to keep an open mind about gold as well). It's a bit contemporary but its lovely in the sense that the shank is thin, (which will make the centre stone look larger) , the twisted ropes grab the light & the halo is integraded in to the ring without a peg head being just sodered on to the piece. The ring width is only 1.8mm so the diamond wold look larger especially in the halo. Scroll around & look at the Recently Completed section for some ideas of different size stones in the settings. They will often modify the head for a smaller stone. Thats why the halo one is the one I prefer.
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/halo/platinum-pave-halo-cabled-diamond-engagement-ring-item-17894

All the best!
Judy
 
ccuheartnurse|1434180253|3888689 said:
You have a few good diamond choices already found for you.

If you can stretch your budget & don't mind pre-own... Here is one a PSr is selling....$1500.. Awesome price. It will buff out like new.
** Also a great price is the matching band for $200 extra. Ring can be authenticated at Tiffany.
http://loupetroop.com/listings/rings-natural-diamond-center/tiffany-and-co-solitaire-60-carats-size-6-dot-5
*** This is a great opportunity***
Click to expand...

+1 if you don't mind pre owned and can stretch your budget I think the one above is :love:

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3449661.htm this is my fav if you want to go w/ whiteflash and they have a good upgrade policy

but try ID Jewlery as well

lots of good advice on this thread.
 
:wavey:

I"ve been looking at some diamonds at james allen and put a few in my wishlist and I would like some opinions on this. I'm 80% sure ill be getting the e-ring from james over whiteflash. I'm 100% sure I want a plat ring even if its the most basic. I'm also leaning more on james because at whiteflash the basic plat says i need at least a .40. Im still going to search for more and once i narrowed it down to less im going to see if i can get ideal scope pics on those.

This is what I have on my wishlist right now.
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.37-carat-f-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-551945

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.35-carat-d-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-468391

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.35-carat-g-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-453129

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.35-carat-e-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-472348

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.35-carat-g-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-551001
All the above diamons I used the HCA tool and rated 1.0 and below.(If i remember correctly)

This is my search filters so you guys can see what I'm looking at and for.
:read:
Cut: ideal
Color:I-D
carat:34-45
Clarity:v2-vvs2
price:1000 and less

Advance search I got:
polist:excellent
symmetry:excellent
I look for a few website and I came up with this percentages,you can tweak them if you know some better percent.
depth: 60-61.5%
table:54-58%
fluorescence:none to slight
 
ccuheartnurse|1434180253|3888689 said:
You have a few good diamond choices already found for you. I would also give IDJewelryOnline a call (it will be faster if you call). They have been known to put great looking rings together on tight budgets & have an upgrade policy.
It's a brand name...but the prices you see are often discounted. Just ask what they would charge for the platinum version.
http://www.idjewelry.com/engagement-rings/engagement-pave/victorian-pave-set-round-diamond-setting-with-millgrain-set-in-14kt-white-gold-0-21ctw.html

What is your entire budget? Did I read correctly that the stone is $1000 or less? And the setting is what?? You say you want platinum but are you ok with another metal choice? Halo option? Whats her finger size? I found a few settings I think may work for you.

If you can stretch your budget & don't mind pre-own... Here is one a PSr is selling....$1500.. Awesome price. It will buff out like new.
** Also a great price is the matching band for $200 extra. Ring can be authenticated at Tiffany.
http://loupetroop.com/listings/rings-natural-diamond-center/tiffany-and-co-solitaire-60-carats-size-6-dot-5
*** This is a great opportunity**

I found a setting on James Allen taking into consideration you prefer Platinum ( but would be a good idea to keep an open mind about gold as well). It's a bit contemporary but its lovely in the sense that the shank is thin, (which will make the centre stone look larger) , the twisted ropes grab the light & the halo is integraded in to the ring without a peg head being just sodered on to the piece. The ring width is only 1.8mm so the diamond wold look larger especially in the halo. Scroll around & look at the Recently Completed section for some ideas of different size stones in the settings. They will often modify the head for a smaller stone. Thats why the halo one is the one I prefer.
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/halo/platinum-pave-halo-cabled-diamond-engagement-ring-item-17894

All the best!
Judy
Click to expand...
Yea I would like my e-ring to be new.I feel like it will be more meaningful since I chose it and with all this studying about how to pick a diamond that ive been doing for weeks, even more,lol.

And my entire budget? Hmm, I would say 1600 for everything,not 100% sure yet. Depending on the diamond cost I will choose the plat ring that I want because right now its the basic and it costs 710.(No halo ring for sure)
 
Niel|1434224009|3888841 said:
Again I'm going to suggest this, as I do believe it's eye clean.

http://www.jamesallen.com/mobile/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.46-carat-f-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-479053

Also, in whatever you decide, I'd suggest spending the extra 200 and getting the hand forged 6 prong Tiffany replica vs the cheapest setting. It's a very nice setting and I think is worth the slight expense.
Click to expand...
Cool Ty, I just saw it and will be putting it in my wishlist too, sorry forgot about your ealier post.

I will go check the setting and decide later on.
 
Never thought it would be so hard to pick a diamong, Thank you everyone for helping.
 
Seems like you're making some progress! :dance:

I would suggest you call or use live chat & put the stones you have on your wishlist on hold for you, sooner rather than later. Sometimes lurkers will scoop up the stones recommended on a thread. ;))
 
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