Find your diamond
Find your jewelry
shape
carat
color
clarity

Help find me a diamond please!

P

pasc43

Rough_Rock
Premium
Joined
Feb 21, 2018
Messages
25
Hey guys,

Looking for an engagement diamond, round brilliant to be set in a cushion halo. Plan is to buy the stone online and get it set at a retailer, just for ease of re-sizing or re-setting if necessary. I am up in Canada so need international shipping. Criteria below. Thanks in advance!

Diamond: Round
Cut: Ideal/Excellent (Closest to H&A as possible)
Carat: 0.90 +/- 0.5
Color: >I
Clarity: > VS2
Budget: <$5,000 USD

Let me know if that is realistic! Also what else do I need to know when buying online. Get real pictures/videos? ASET images? Thanks!
 
I think it will be easy to find something nice in the .9 carat range with your budget! Here are a few examples (from lowest to highest cost):

Excellent .91 with good angles and H&A pattern. Has a feather in the middle of the table, but doesn't look like it would be visible from normal viewing angles:
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...h-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-4279974

Beautiful .92 carat G color with a nice, small table. This diamond would be a firebomb! This diamond also just recently dropped in price (I remember seeing it listed during my own diamond search for around $5,100!):
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...rat-g-color-vs2-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-3824047

Finally, a little out of your budget, but this is an eye clean .92 from WhiteFlash's A Cut Above line. With ACA you're getting guaranteed excellent performance, but there's a pretty significant price jump between this one and the above two stones from James Allen:
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3929362.htm?source=pricescope

For the above diamonds from James Allen, you should ask for IdealScope images to confirm performance. The .92 G has the AGS platinum light report, which comes with a virtual light return map (which looks great by the way!) but looking at the IdealScope image would still be a good idea.

Good luck with your search! :)
 
First, i'd suggest finding out her exact ring size, you don't want to do any major resizing on a pave ring. And i'd go with a setting from the same place as the stone unless you already have a trusted jeweler. Anyone can resize a ring and cleanings are free so...

Anyway, that said, here are a few stones. i know you said VS2 but these SI1's look eye clean

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...rat-g-color-vs2-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-3824047 :love: LOVE THIS STONE

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...h-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-4279974

https://www.briangavindiamonds.com/...-bkags-104098060010#!prettyPhoto[gallery2]/2/

https://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond...GIA-G-SI1-diamond-stock-15207-cert-6232577938 (eye clean SI1)
 
TreeScientist said:
Great minds think alike. ;)2
Click to expand...

LOL! I'd swipe up this stone in a HEARTBEAT, i'm a sucker for a teeny tiny table. i hope the OP reserves it while he's deciding.

For the OP, i thought i'd drop in a few settings. Halos can often look "off" because of how the stone is set (with the girdle set high out of the halo so the stone rests well above the halo instead of the halo hugging or cradling the stone) and this seems to be pretty common with a B&M store. However, some people do like it. the lower set stone though lends to a more fluid look. again, i'd rec purchasing the setting and stone at the same place.

https://www.jamesallen.com/engageme...shion-outline-pave-engagement-ring-item-49493

https://www.jamesallen.com/engageme...tline-falling-edge-engagement-ring-item-53073

https://www.jamesallen.com/engageme...e-and-pave-gallery-engagement-ring-item-53074
 
farrahlyn said:
LOL! I'd swipe up this stone in a HEARTBEAT, i'm a sucker for a teeny tiny table. i hope the OP reserves it while he's deciding.

For the OP, i thought i'd drop in a few settings. Halos can often look "off" because of how the stone is set (with the girdle set high out of the halo so the stone rests well above the halo instead of the halo hugging or cradling the stone) and this seems to be pretty common with a B&M store. However, some people do like it. the lower set stone though lends to a more fluid look. again, i'd rec purchasing the setting and stone at the same place.

https://www.jamesallen.com/engageme...shion-outline-pave-engagement-ring-item-49493

https://www.jamesallen.com/engageme...tline-falling-edge-engagement-ring-item-53073

https://www.jamesallen.com/engageme...e-and-pave-gallery-engagement-ring-item-53074
Click to expand...

I'm also a sucker for tiny tables. 54-56% range is ideal for a ring IMO. For the price the diamond is listed at now, it is definitely a steal.

I would second the recommendation to get diamond + setting from the same place. Just makes things easier from a liability perspective. But I also totally understand why some people may want to work together with a local jeweler to create a unique setting. That being said, if you do decide to work with a local jeweler, I would definitely recommend telling them that you want the girdle of the diamond set as close flush with the halo as possible like @farrahlyn recommended. Looks much cleaner and more professional that way.
 
farrahlyn said:
LOL! I'd swipe up this stone in a HEARTBEAT, i'm a sucker for a teeny tiny table. i hope the OP reserves it while he's deciding.

For the OP, i thought i'd drop in a few settings. Halos can often look "off" because of how the stone is set (with the girdle set high out of the halo so the stone rests well above the halo instead of the halo hugging or cradling the stone) and this seems to be pretty common with a B&M store. However, some people do like it. the lower set stone though lends to a more fluid look. again, i'd rec purchasing the setting and stone at the same place.

https://www.jamesallen.com/engageme...shion-outline-pave-engagement-ring-item-49493

https://www.jamesallen.com/engageme...tline-falling-edge-engagement-ring-item-53073

https://www.jamesallen.com/engageme...e-and-pave-gallery-engagement-ring-item-53074
Click to expand...

Okay thanks for the advice. The first Halo is pretty much exactly what I would get made. The only other thing of concern is she wants the wedding band to sit flush against the engagement band under the halo. Would that be possible with these settings? She mentioned her ring size is 5 or 5.25 (she couldn't remember exactly) so wouldn't be a big re-size.
 
pasc43 said:
That inclusion on the left side wouldn't be visible? Looks big but just because of the zoom hey?
Click to expand...

Highly doubt it would be visible unless you're jooking at it with a 10X jewelers loupe. It's in a pretty ideal place as far as crystals go (right beyond the table) where it typically will be drowned out by all of the facets. And it's not creating any unsightly reflections in the rest of the diamond, which is also good.

Simplest way to tell if it would be eye clean is to zoom out to about 5-7X in the JA video (about 2/3 of the way down on the slide) and then rotate the diamond every which way. Can you see anything? If not, then the diamond will be eye clean under any normal viewing condition.

JAs 20X videos definitely magnify how prominent inclusions appear. Again, unless you're going to be looking at it with a magnification tool, you'll never to be able to get that kind of resolution with the naked human eye (unless you're EXTREMELY near-sighted :mrgreen:).
 
Like @farrahlyn said, I would definitely put this on hold ASAP. Doubt you'll find something better for under 5K.

Also, if you decide to purchase from JA, ask for the "PriceScope Discount" and it should knock about $100 off the listed price. Getting this diamond for under $4600 is excellent!
 
pasc43 said:
Okay thanks for the advice. The first Halo is pretty much exactly what I would get made. The only other thing of concern is she wants the wedding band to sit flush against the engagement band under the halo. Would that be possible with these settings? She mentioned her ring size is 5 or 5.25 (she couldn't remember exactly) so wouldn't be a big re-size.
Click to expand...

depends on what kind of wedding band but a plain band should sit perfectly flush against it. Have her go get her finger sized so you're sure. but yeah, 1/4 size is not much at all and really, if you go with the 5.25, it wouldn't be terrible. i'm a 5.5 and my rings are sized to 5.75 (e-ring) and 6 (band) due to swelling. it gets HOT here and my fingers swell a lot in the summer. If you go with a local jeweler, Gabriel & Co has some really pretty halos. just be sure to request that the stone not be set too high.

https://www.gabrielny.com/engagement-ring/ER8265W44JJ
https://www.gabrielny.com/engagement-ring/ER12780W44JJ
https://www.gabrielny.com/engagement-ring/ER8520W44JJ
 
pasc43 said:
Thoughts on this one?

https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3829688.htm
Click to expand...

Pass. this stone is just virtual inventory (the picture is a sample image) and you want to stick with a GIA XXX which it is not. And with Whiteflash, look at their IN HOUSE stones, A Cut Above (super ideal) or Expert (just missed being an ACA) or Premium Select which all have excellent upgrade policies. You're paying a premium for those stones but there are a lot of pluses to purchasing one.

for non super ideal stones, there are certain parameters you should stick to when searching online. You want Excellent Cut, Polish and Symetry. plus stick to these paramaters to help ensure you have a bright and sparkly stone:

Depth: 60-62.3
Table: 53-57
Crown angle: 34-35.0 ( 35.5 crown angle can sometimes work with a 40.6 pav angle)
pavilion angle: 40.6-40.9 ( 41.0 if the crown angle is close to 34)

along with this, you can also run stones through the HCA and anything under a score of 2 is worth further scrutiny. (you don't need to run a super ideal through HCA)
https://www.pricescope.com/tools/hca
 
That looks pretty good. Which one is it?

Just another not about sizing: depending on the thickness of the ering AND the thickness of the wedding band, together on a finger, tightness can ensue. So, to try on some similar rings at a store ("just getting ideas") WITH various bands, to be sure of the sizing. You really don't want to resize pave settings.

Or leave pave off the shank and pick out the wedding band together afterward.
 
ringo865 said:
That looks pretty good. Which one is it?

Just another not about sizing: depending on the thickness of the ering AND the thickness of the wedding band, together on a finger, tightness can ensue. So, to try on some similar rings at a store ("just getting ideas") WITH various bands, to be sure of the sizing. You really don't want to resize pave settings.

Or leave pave off the shank and pick out the wedding band together afterward.
Click to expand...

It's the 0.92 GVS2 from JA. Good advice on the sizing. Thanks!
 
That IS looks great! Get a setting from JA, not locally.
 
The Brian Gavin. :kiss2:
 
The Brian Gavin is also beautiful, and I agree with you that the slightly smaller size and lower color would not be noticeable in a halo at all. The nice thing about Brian Gavin is that most of their rings are customizable. So you could ask for G-H or H-I melee stones instead of the typical F-G melee to better match with the I colored center stone. :)

Is this the one you're looking at:
https://www.briangavindiamonds.com/...and-side-stones/the-anita-halo-platinum-5950p
 
Definitely the BG and the size difference will be negligible in a halo setting! Top of the line cut will blow her socks off!
 
TreeScientist said:
The Brian Gavin is also beautiful, and I agree with you that the slightly smaller size and lower color would not be noticeable in a halo at all. The nice thing about Brian Gavin is that most of their rings are customizable. So you could ask for G-H or H-I melee stones instead of the typical F-G melee to better match with the I colored center stone. :)

Is this the one you're looking at:
https://www.briangavindiamonds.com/...and-side-stones/the-anita-halo-platinum-5950p
Click to expand...

Yup exactly what I am looking at, what you think? Any pictures of it you know by chance? Trying to picture scale, and also how high the center stone is set like you mentioned before. Would the G-H outer stones be cheaper as well?
 
I don't know of anyone on here that has that particular setting, but I'm sure that the reps at Brian Gavin would be more than happy to answer any questions you may have about it (it's one of their own in-house settings, and I'm sure they know their settings better than anyone :) ).The G-H melee stones may be a bit cheaper (like $30-50) but probably not much. The difference in price for smaller stones with varying colors is usually not too great. But the main thing isn't the price, it's just making sure the melee match the color of the center stone.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
GET 3 FREE HCA RESULTS JOIN THE FORUM. ASK FOR HELP
Jewelry Blog
PriceScope-Concierge-Ad
Find prime cuts.
Top