Help - did I make a good choice?

[MrsT]

Hello again:

I remember reading about DOCD. Now I can join the ranks. Can someone tell me if I''''m just getting cold feet or if I''''m making a mistake.

A few weeks back I asked you guys to check out a stone I was cosidering. I got a few nods in favor of the stone so I decided to go see it since GOG is within driving distance. I have traveled twice to the shop (1-1/2hour drive) hemming and hawing over this diamond and I decided to buy it but I''''m losing sleep over it.
I''''m not convinced I made a good choice. Let me tell you why.

First, GOG was a great experience. It''''s the first time since I started this process that I felt comfortable with who I was working with. Jonathan and Tim have been very informative and patient. It''''s really interesting to see the microscope image of your diamond on the plasma screen.

My choice:

2.00 H SI2
HCA 1.2
Table 56.08,Depth62.3,CA35.31,PA40.65

The problem with me is I''''m insanely perfectionistic but my budget doesn''''t allow me to get close to my ideal dream stone.

I''''m so distressed and don''''t know if it''''s just cold feet or insanity or both.
After all, I''''m getting a beautiful 2.00ct stone but it''''s not "Ideal" and it''''s an SI2! But it''''s in our budget. An did I say it''''s beautiful?

If you are wondering if I see the inclusions, I did the first visit when I was hyper-focused on where they were located. On my second visit I had a harder time. It was suggested that we could put a prong near the inclusion. My husband couldn''''t see these inclusions but his eyesight is bad.

Second visit. I compared my stone with some smaller ones and just can''''t seem to accept the smaller size. I have abnormally large hands and a larger stone doesn''''t even look that big on my hand.

Yes there are better choices but DH doesn''''t want to spend the extra money so now I''''m thinking about skimping on the setting to afford a different stone with better clarity.
Please help me if you can. My sister says I''''m hopeless and I need therapy. The other options are:

1.96H VS2 OR 1.85 H VVS1
HCA1.6 HCA .06
Table 54.3 Table 55.34
Depth 62.8 (Too steep IMO) Depth 61.71
CA 34.8 CA 35.24
PA 40.87 42.74

$5000 more $4000 more

Any advice?

Setting: I tried so many styles and the best on me is a 5 stone band with 25pt rb stones.
The mounting has 4 - 25pt accent stones.

Thanks in advance!
Mrs T

 

[JulieN]

Huh? How is it not ideal?

 

[Sundial]

This is a big purchase and it is normal to second guess yourself. Is the main problem with your original choice the inclusions? You''ve seen it in person so is this something you can live with or is it going to drive you crazy? You said yourself that it was a beautiful stone. Did you compare it to any other diamonds?

 

[Ellen]

Forget the numbers for a minute. You said it was beautiful. Did it make your heart flutter? If so, buy it, wear it, enjoy it.

I can give anal a whole new meaning at times. lol But when my current stone went up, the CA/PA numbers were not what the anal would pick. But everything else screamed BUY ME! So, I told myself to get over it and give it a shot, sight unseen, from GOG.


My stone is stunning. You couldn''t pry it off my hand if you had a stone with specs worthy of the most discriminating to offer me.

 

[FacetFire]

I''d get the 2.0 in a heartbeat if you thought it was beautiful. My stone is an SI1 and since it''s an OEC, the numbers are all over the place. Yes, I can find the inclusion if I look REALLY closely. I thought it would bother me, but it''s even less noticeable when there is stuff going on in the setting and the stone is sparkling like crazy. To me, it''s about sparkle and size, and if it has both of those, I say go for it! Don''t get hung up on the numbers, it can take away from even the most perfect stone. Each stone is unique and beautiful for different reasons. IMO, there is no perfect, only perfect for you!!!

 

[MrsT]

I just realized I should have put this in Rocky Talk. Sorry. Can I put it in Rocky Talk somehow?

JulieN: It''s Ideal symmetry but AGS Excellent Cut, GIA Excellent Cut.
I think its the crown angle which is 35.3 Class 2A
American Ideal Class 1A 34.0 - 34.7, Class 1B - 33 - 35.1, Class2A - 32.1 - 35.8

I wonder if this crown angle is causing me to see this sort of "interruption" in sparkle. I would look at the stone and very often my eye would be drawn to this sort of glitch of white. It was distracting. I could see it at times and then when I moved the stone I would loose it.

Sundial: It does seem to be driving me crazy but I''m trying to forget about it but it''s not working.

The reason I fell into the numbers game is because so many diamonds look nice in the store. It''s a way to know I selected a cut that has the most potential for sparkle in all kinds of light.

Thanks for the help.
Mrs T

 

[JulieN]

Mmm, excellent polish gives it a 1 grade? That's just good news for your bank account.

AGA cut grades are fine, but HCA is under 2, AGS gives it ideal for light performance, and storm says it's kicken. It is definitely an ideal cut. But if you don't feel as if this stone is for you...

 

[Lorelei]

How would you feel ( hypothetically) if this diamond was bought by someone else and snatched out from under you? That might help to bring out your true feelings. Diamonds are not just about numbers, inclusions are important sure, but does this diamond speak to you? If your overriding feelings are more about concern with the inclusions than the beauty and desire to wear this diamond then maybe hold off and keep looking. Whoever it was who came out with this saying, was on the money - a diamond you want to purchase should scream MINE!!! Does this one have that effect on you?

Just some food for thought. Also it could just be cold feet about pulling the trigger and commiting to one diamond, just think a little more before you take the plunge.

 

[Eva17]

Is the inclusion the thing that bothers you the most? If the stone spoke to you, like Lorelei said, it could just be buyers remorse. Buying a diamond does that. Especially when we have this forum, which is the best, yet allows us the freedom to keep second guessing ourselves by posting teeny tiny number details.

Buying a diamond is a TRADEOFF. First comes the budget, then the cut, then whatever is the order of most important to you. Color, size etc.

You got a kicken from storn, and the stone has birthmarks that make it special and easy to identify. But, can you love it with the birthmarks?

2ct is a great size stone and 4/5k for a smaller size is alot out of the pocketbook. But, if one of those other stones scream, "Take Me Home", then for you maybe it would be worth it.

Sounds like you may need to take another drive to GOG.

Good Luck!

 

[MrsT]

Lorelie: I think I would kick myself if I let go of the diamond and someone else scooped it up.
My thoughts have run in that vein and its an excellent point. One that could certainly help alleviate buyers remorse.

Eva:I did see the other stones and they all looked the same to me. One didn''t stand out over the other except that the 2.00ct inclusions are hard for me to accept. "Can I love it with the birthmarks?" lol That is the question that needs answering.

It''s so annoying to be effected this way, but it''s no different really than someone''s preference for an "E" color verses an "H". I can live with "H" very easily but obviously the clarity is an issue for me.
I''m more hung up on that than the numbers.
It just sounds better VS2 or VVS1.

I found a post about SI stones and that was helpful reading. If you have a clean SI1 or SI2 its a good trade off to getting the size diamond you desire.

Bottom line, if the whole thing looks good and I don''t see the flaws with my eyes I''m good to go. It''s just that I think I can see it. I am going to have to "Sqaure" with that(Jack Sparrow) in order to take the plunge.

Thanks for the helpful advice
Mrs. T

 

[KristyDarling]

Mrs. T, the stone sounds amazing but if you can see the inclusions and that bothers you, then you should probably keep looking. For that kind of $$$, you should have a stone that you fully love. I have an HSI1 that I adore....it''s eyeclean but even if there were a tiny little pimple somewhere even with the naked eye, it probably wouldn''t bother me too much. For me, it''s all about the overall impact of the stone seen from a more normal distance of between 1-3 feet. If you think you''ll be scrutinizing your ring a lot and noticing the inclusions, then it''s probably not The One.

I say keep looking! And take your time and don''t stress about the search...this is supposed to be fun!

 

[MrsT]

Krystie:
If that Avatar is your ring it''s gorgeous. The photo is amazing.
I love how you kept the setting simple. The diamond is the star.

Is that a 3ct stone?
Or bigger?

Just the thought of starting over is causing heart palpatations. Not sure I have the courage to tell DH I''m questioning our decison.

Thanks for the help
Mrs T

 

[fire&ice]

Date: 8/22/2006 8:57:14 AM
Author: Eva17
Buying a diamond is a TRADEOFF. First comes the budget, then the cut, then whatever is the order of most important to you. Color, size etc.

You got a kicken from storn, and the stone has birthmarks that make it special and easy to identify. But, can you love it with the birthmarks?

Yes, when you have a budget & want size you will always have a trade off. Something has got to give. And, yes, you have a birthmark. I have a Zen kinda attitude about that. I can see my birthmark certain times w/ no corrective lenses and tilting a certain way. At first, it kind of bothered me; but, I got over it pretty quickly once set & the size and sparkle dazzle my thoughts.

Look at it in real life settings. Do it without any corrective lenses (lenses diminishes little details). Look at about 5" & 8" away. This is normal viewing up close viewing.

I don''t know how much your intitial expenditure is with this stone - but 4-5000 is quite a bit more. Is that 10%? 20% My guess is that it''s closer to 25 -30% - which is quite a bit more.

Let me ask you - when you saw it & it was within your budget - did you heart flutter? It''s normal to second quess yourself till the cows come home. But, it seems like this stone found you.

 

[Rod]

DOCD, while true, can be bad. Don''t let it "cloud" your purchase. That 2 carat stone should be beautiful. Stop second guessing yourself. There will always be something a little better around the corner? Maybe, but more than likely you''ll kick yourself if as Lorelei pointed out you let that stone go and someone else scoops it up.

 

[Mara]

it all comes down to how you feel inside....

do NOT try to convince yourself that you love this stone...if in fact you have serious doubts. i tried that once and it doesn't work. i am also not the type of person who can talk herself into anything. once something bothers me, that's it.

that said, i know what my 'priorities' are. i love a good SI2 stone...even if i can see the birthmark in certain lighting, i don't care because i know no one else can see it and i would willingly sacrifice clarity to get a superideal kind of cut. i also don't mind color. for me it's all about two things. size and cut quality. so knowing that about myself, i can 'back into' finding stones that fit my criteria. i used to have a G VS1 and now my current stone is a J SI1 and i hhave had an H SI1 and then a J SI2. i liked the H and J stones better than the G because they were cut better. that was my own mental hangup thing. who cared if it was a G VS if it didn't look 'the best it could be' kind of thing. inclusions and color may not bother me but cut quality does. that's my own personal thing. i would not try to buy a stone that didn't fit up to my expectations as a 'forever' kind of stone just to get *something*.

i was going to say that i like the 2c H SI2 *for what it is* but if you are not comfortable with the SI2 and the cut quality not being quite what it could be, i totally understand. i don't know that i'd pay $5k more for a 1.96 H VS2 as that seems like overkill, esp with the still-deep 62% depth. do you really have to make a decision right now? can you wait to see what else is brought in? have you looked around at other vendors as well? asked GOG if any of their virtual vendors have stones you might like?

if this is going to be a forever stone, don't rush into it, don't force yourself to love something, don't talk yourself into it. we all have our own little issues when it comes to stone shopping. it's hard to be patient. but in my opinion when you spend this kind of moola, make it count and make sure you are HAPPY. you don't want to second guess yourself...and honestly this 2c H SI2 is a nice stone for the price but if you are willing to wait a bit then maybe a 2c H SI1 will come along with a little better crown angle and a little better depth and it's $2k more and that may work better. just cover all your bases. good luck!!

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 8/21/2006 9:02:19 PM
Author:Mrs.T
Hello again:

I remember reading about DOCD. Now I can join the ranks. Can someone tell me if I''m just getting cold feet or if I''m making a mistake.

A few weeks back I asked you guys to check out a stone I was cosidering. I got a few nods in favor of the stone so I decided to go see it since GOG is within driving distance. I have traveled twice to the shop (1-1/2hour drive) hemming and hawing over this diamond and I decided to buy it but I''m losing sleep over it.
I''m not convinced I made a good choice. Let me tell you why.

First, GOG was a great experience. It''s the first time since I started this process that I felt comfortable with who I was working with. Jonathan and Tim have been very informative and patient. It''s really interesting to see the microscope image of your diamond on the plasma screen.

My choice:

2.00 H SI2
HCA 1.2
Table 56.08,Depth62.3,CA35.31,PA40.65

The problem with me is I''m insanely perfectionistic but my budget doesn''t allow me to get close to my ideal dream stone.

I''m so distressed and don''t know if it''s just cold feet or insanity or both.
After all, I''m getting a beautiful 2.00ct stone but it''s not ''Ideal'' and it''s an SI2! But it''s in our budget. An did I say it''s beautiful?

If you are wondering if I see the inclusions, I did the first visit when I was hyper-focused on where they were located. On my second visit I had a harder time. It was suggested that we could put a prong near the inclusion. My husband couldn''t see these inclusions but his eyesight is bad.

Second visit. I compared my stone with some smaller ones and just can''t seem to accept the smaller size. I have abnormally large hands and a larger stone doesn''t even look that big on my hand.

Yes there are better choices but DH doesn''t want to spend the extra money so now I''m thinking about skimping on the setting to afford a different stone with better clarity.
Please help me if you can. My sister says I''m hopeless and I need therapy. The other options are:

1.96H VS2 OR 1.85 H VVS1
HCA1.6 HCA .06
Table 54.3 Table 55.34
Depth 62.8 (Too steep IMO) Depth 61.71
CA 34.8 CA 35.24
PA 40.87 42.74

$5000 more $4000 more

Any advice?

Setting: I tried so many styles and the best on me is a 5 stone band with 25pt rb stones.
The mounting has 4 - 25pt accent stones.

Thanks in advance!
Mrs T

I''m kinda in your boat... have a budget, have big fingers LOL two full carats looks average on me. I can''t tell you what to do, but I can tell you what I''ve done... I guess just really prioritized... there''s nothing *wrong* with saying you want carat over cut or clarity over carat... everyone has their own order of importance. Most here would say cut first, some really need it close to a D and some don''t even blink at a K. I''ve seen some *disappointed* that the stone they liked was only a SI1 and NOT an SI2 because they wanted the better deal an SI2 would bring... I can see inclusions a mile away... I feel uncomfortable looking at anything under a VS2. But I also know if the inclusion was the right blemish in the right spot I could learn to love it the way I''ve learned to love the ''flaws'' in my husband.

What is the number one thing you want in a ring - it doesn''t have to be cut or clarity... if you really want a 2 carat ring, by all means set the bar! THEN say okay... what''s next... cut? clarity? color? You might find that cut and clarity are paramount and all of a sudden you''re okay with a J colored stone... or you might think as long as I have an ideal cut, 1.75 carats is enough. Maybe don''t just think of what your MOST important C is - think about what your *least* important C is. For me it''s color. I really don''t care what color it is as long as it''s not yellow like this:

lol

If in the end the stone you have DOES match your priority list... then its a keeper and in another 5-10 years (or less lol) you can upgrade! hehehe!!!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Oh, Mrs T, lots of us know how you feel! How many of us can get the optimal size, color, clarity, and cut that we''d really love! We all have to make compromises but we have different limits on what we can tolerate as others have said. Even today, when emailing about getting my diamond set, I asked ONE more time if he was SURE my stone was as pretty as the F VVS2 which is $4000 more! See, the F VVS2 would be TOTALLY clean for me! But is it worth $4000 more??? That is pretty much the same decision you have here. Of course, the stone I did choose was within my comfort level for color and clarity. But I wouldn''t have been happy with color or clarity any lower than I got.

I think if it were me, I''d go with a smaller mind-clean stone if I couldn''t raise the budget, but only you can decide what''s right for you!

 

[3hearts]

I thought GOG had a lifetime trade up policy. I would ask them if this stone qualifies under that policy. If it does, I would go with the 2 carat now and also let them know you are interested in trading up for your ''dream stone'' later on.

 

[MrsT]

My computer has been down. Cable company turned off our cable by mistake!

I started to skim everyone''s comments. I am truly grateful for everyone''s input with helping me sort out my feelings about this purchase. Very greatful for the PS support network. Many good thoughts here and I want to comment but don''t have time right now.

Be back later,
Mrs T

 

[MrsT]

I really appreciate the feedback. I agree with everything said and I appreciate the different perspectives. I had DH read it too. I have a plan.

I did a search - and to find a 2.00ct stone in a superideal cut I will have to double my budget. So the stone I would probably go "gaga" over is an unrealistic expectation.

The only way to solve the clarity/AGS0 issue is to knock off 1/2 carat. Which on some hands looks great but on my hand it looks like a 1.00ct.

FacetFire mentioned sparkle and the Gemex report states H,VH,VH,VH.
I thought it was very sparkly but I think all diamonds look sparkly in the store. If when I get this stone home and it is a stunning performer, I can get over the SI2 quite easily.

Eva17: Who/what is storm?

I''ve tried to figure out why the stone didn''t scream "take me home" and I''ve concluded that I had already formed a prejudice because I had seen the inclusions under the microscope. The odd white blur that I see is a big hang up for me. It is very hard for me to walk away excited about that. But with that said....

An excellent point made by FacetFire,Fire & Ice, and Rod is that once it''s set it might not even be an issue. GOG said the same thing.
A prong placed in the trouble spot could very well alleviate all my misgivings.

I could use the trade up policy should I get the ring home and I see the flaw easily. If I''m wrong about settling for the SI2 clarity I will lower the carat size and increase the clarity grade.


I truly hope that the voice that said "this stone found you" will be the truth of the whole matter.

Best wishes to everyone. I will let you know how it all turns out.
Mrs T