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Help finding 4ct round with $35k budget

doberman

Ideal_Rock
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I would definitely not rule out a J or K stone. I've seen both and they can be beautiful. My stone is a J SI1 and a True Hearts diamond and I'm hoping I wont be disappointed by the color. I had to wade through a lot of ill-proportioned stones, but I really wanted to hit the 4ct mark. The "superideal" diamonds of WF at this size were too expensive; so I compromised and found one with great proportions. I'm not going to be trading up, so the price I spend now is all that counts. You have to do a similar evaluation for yourself.
 

lovedogs

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@HDer I totally understand what you are saying. However, many women can easily see the difference between G/H vs J/K stones, and dislike the lower colors. I am not one of them as I prefer light brown stones, but I am in the minority. The one you linked is very obviously tinted, and doesnt look clear to me (it looks almost cloudy). I definitely wouldn't recommend OP go this route.


Edit. @doberman makes a great point, but it's a choice she made for herself, which is critical. Your gf needs to see different colors and choose. Assuming she will be fine with an obviously tinted stone is risky.
 

HDer

Brilliant_Rock
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@HDer I totally understand what you are saying. However, many women can easily see the difference between G/H vs J/K stones, and dislike the lower colors. I am not one of them as I prefer light brown stones, but I am in the minority. The one you linked is very obviously tinted, and doesnt look clear to me (it looks almost cloudy). I definitely wouldn't recommend OP go this route.


Edit. @doberman makes a great point, but it's a choice she made for herself, which is critical. Your gf needs to see different colors and choose. Assuming she will be fine with an obviously tinted stone is risky.

Cloudiness is definitely a potential issue, with the strong blue and the internal graining. From everything I've read it's really hard to tell cloudiness from a video, especially because different video setups are pretty different, so the best way to look at it in person in a variety of different environments (and also with a UV light if you have one).

The tint I'm less worried about when it's a K, but definitely something to also double check in person. Videos can be deceiving when it comes to tint as well. Fortunately most of the time the tint is exaggerated rather than downplayed in the videos, but it's always best to double check.
 

HDer

Brilliant_Rock
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This is my wife's L/faint brown (so one grade lower than the K) set in rose gold. I'm sure the tint is there because I also have the certificate paper, but without something to compare it to, it's really not obvious to me that it is tinted.

unnamed.jpg

Still, same principle with the 4 carats applies here too. If the words "brown" on a sheet of paper are a turnoff, don't do it!
 

diamondseeker2006

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Please note that you can't see diamond color in most photos. But you can see the difference between I and K if you have the two diamonds in hand. I think you are on the right track with I color. I am confused, though, why you are talking to B2C about the stone with the etch channel when there was another nice choice at 4 cts J VS??? I'd forget the one with the etch channel.


I'd still probably go with this one that is under budget and I color:


other than if you want to go top cut quality with one of these:


 

HDer

Brilliant_Rock
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Here's a video that shows I vs K side by side. They are set in platinum/white gold, but note he only shows the top down, not side, view.
Nothing beats seeing them in person though! Every person's eyes are a bit different.
 

Rocko78

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Thanks diamondseeker. If I’m trying to stay above I color, which would be your pick out of those bottom 3 you linked. The adiamor is the 2 whiteflash
 

diamondseeker2006

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Thanks diamondseeker. If I’m trying to stay above I color, which would be your pick out of those bottom 3 you linked. The adiamor is the 2 whiteflash

Very good! I think you won't regret that choice of color! The diamond in my avatar picture is I color and it looks white almost all the time except when I am in a car with tinted windows. While I prefer VS clarity, I'll have to say that the 3.14 I color ACA gets you to 9.4mm which is a fairly nice diameter over the 3.03.
 

DiamondDust13

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I am not an expert but I couldn't resist browsing again. If you're still undecided and looking, and if you're heart is set on hearts and aarows, this is on JA for $36 900 USD this is a GIA. It is a 3.11ct VVS2 J and it has no flouresence.

Good luck with your search!
 

Rocko78

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Thank you kali I still haven’t decided. There was another j from James Allen that yssie had linked which is also an option. I’m just gonna figure out between the i and j first
 

Emerald_Isle13

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Here is a 4.01 J VS1 with medium fluoro for 35K
 

yssie

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If I had this stone I would recut it. But you would lose a bit of weight.

Or paint the underside yellow and call it a fancy, and rest assured it'll look pretty darn vivid face-up ::)
I can't be the only one who occasionally [nail]polishes my pavilion...
 
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Dancing Fire

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diamondsR4eVR

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I am sorry but this is a very poorly cut stone

You guys are amazing! How can you tell this is a poorly cut stone since JA doesn’t even show GIA? Video looked good to me. I need A LOT more practice.
 

tyty333

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@diamondsR4eVR

Can you see the difference between these 2 images especially under the table? You need to look for stones that look like stone 1. Stone 2 has a
lot of leakage.

Stone 1

Capture1.jpg

Stone 2
Capture.PNG
 

diamondsR4eVR

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TY @tyty333! Yes, I do see the difference in the two photos. Thank you for showing me the photos. I’m a visual person- very helpful.
 

Moonie

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Since you're in LA I might recommend dropping by Mark Broumand in DTLA (@Moonie has worked with him), who has a ton of large diamonds on display. His staff is really nice and friendly and you and your gf can try on a variety of sizes of stones. When I stopped by they had everything from 1 carat to 5 carats. She can also really see the difference between a 4 carat cushion and a 3 carat round. I personally loved the look of a 3 carat cushion but found that a 3 carat round looked way too big on me (in my very humble opinion -- I would of course never say no to one if someone offered!!!). Does she want a 4 carat just so she can say she has one like her friends, or did she just like the proportions? If her hands are smaller or bigger than her friend's, that's also something to consider re: impact of stone size if it's really the proportions and not the magic number that matters.

I loved working with Mark - he has a variety of loose and set stones and agree that it's good to try one some so she can see how she feels about sizes on her hand! I found out as I tried on more stone in person that I'm not color sensitive at all, and that was a deciding factor in going for an M OEC. Your gf might have a similar experience in which case you can get a bigger stone for your budget!
 

prs

Brilliant_Rock
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I really need to just take her to see the different clarity and colors in person to make a better decision. I was hoping the pix would be enough so she doesn’t see the actual diamond before I propose. Lol.
From PriceScope I figured cut and clarity were more important but the dealers who I have spoken with keep telling me to stay above h.
I think for now I’m just looking at a face of 9.5mm minimum and then will look for the best of the other parameters with minimal fluorescence

Hopefully your future wife is going to wear this ring for many years to come. The movies and TV ads always have the guy surprising the girl with the ring, she loves the ring, and they both live happily ever after. :love:

We are now in 2020 and women have minds of their own. In real life the girl is head over heels in love with the guy, but isn't too thrilled with the ring. After a decent period of time she asks if she can trade it in for something she likes better.

The most important factor in this decision is not cut vs clarity, vs carats, it's what kind of ring does she want to wear every day for the rest of her life. I've been happily married for 39 years, and my advice is to get her involved now!

PS. DW and I went shopping together for the ring after the proposal. We bought the one she chose, and she wore it everyday for the next 25 years! :love: :love: :love:
 

Dancing Fire

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coda72

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I know you were thinking about staying with I color and above, but just in case you’re still considering J, here’s another option.

 

dumbo

Shiny_Rock
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I am sorry but this is a very poorly cut stone

It is tough finding a well cut stone right at a round carat number. Lots of people leave size as to not dip below the 4ct mark. This one, well cut, probably comes in at just above 3.9ct, which kills the value of the stone. This is less of a problem if you are looking for something like 4.1ct; a bit of room for error is present.
 

doberman

Ideal_Rock
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Hopefully your future wife is going to wear this ring for many years to come. The movies and TV ads always have the guy surprising the girl with the ring, she loves the ring, and they both live happily ever after. :love:

We are now in 2020 and women have minds of their own. In real life the girl is head over heels in love with the guy, but isn't too thrilled with the ring. After a decent period of time she asks if she can trade it in for something she likes better.

The most important factor in this decision is not cut vs clarity, vs carats, it's what kind of ring does she want to wear every day for the rest of her life. I've been happily married for 39 years, and my advice is to get her involved now!

PS. DW and I went shopping together for the ring after the proposal. We bought the one she chose, and she wore it everyday for the next 25 years! :love: :love: :love:

That's what we did. Proposal first, then we went shopping for the ring. He didn't want to buy an expensive thing that I might not like, which I felt was quite sensible. But I wound up with a round in a tiffany style setting - pretty standard and boring! I had zero idea of what I wanted in a ring, i didn't know the different shapes, I hadn't even thought about it. But we've been together for 34 years.
 

Himalayas

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May 15, 2014
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Thanks diamondseeker. If I’m trying to stay above I color, which would be your pick out of those bottom 3 you linked. The adiamor is the 2 whiteflash

I have bought diamonds over the years. My first was a pair of F colored diamonds. And then H, J and I. The last ones I bought are Ks. I regret ever buying the colorless range and will never do again. Most recently, I compared the K(faint brown) (I have a thread about that with pictures) to the I color. Face-up the K(it has strong blue fuo) looks whiter than I color . I loved that one so much that I just bought another one 4.02 cts K (faint brown with strong blue fluo). Both times, I got a huge discount because of the faint brown designation. The truth is I (probably most average buyers) can never tell if a diamond is K (faint brown or not) or G (even F), faceup, after it's mounted. I was advised to go with near colorless range by many jewelers, all the time. I learned that was not a good advice for me after I have looked at/purchased diamonds, in a span of over a decade. I would advice you that color grading is SO overrated (but I would not go lower than a K) and your fiance is right in caring about the size more, because it's what everybody can see. Hope my opinion/suggestion is helpful to you in some ways. Congrats on your engagement!
P.S. I forgot to mention that my Ks are cut to perfection. This is key in hiding any traces of color that they may have.
 
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Himalayas

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This one is K brown, and strong blue but could make an amazing ring: https://narolagems.com/DiamondDetail.aspx?StoneId=184-7

Would want to check in person to see actual face up tint and check for cloudiness, especially with the internal graining.

List price 30.7K from the cutter. For a couple thousand dollars more you should be able to find a jeweler who will get it for you and let you return it if it doesn't look good in person.

EDIT: I have to write a little bit more about this diamond since I'm so enamoured with it.

Why I like it so much: 1. it's a reasonable color. I would be willing to set this in rose gold or yellow gold no problem. 2. It's got a good HCA score and just good proportions in general. 3. It has potentially the best combination of discounts I could think of. First, brown knocks money off of the price, but could actually increase the effective color (brown stones were/are? rated a color grade or two lower than yellow stones, so a brown K could really be equivalent to a yellow J). Second, strong blue knocks money off of the price, but could also increase the effective color because blue and yellow are complementary. Third, it has a black inclusion on the table, but in a corner and of a size that shouldn't be noticeable to the eye, but once again, knocks money off the price. Fourth, it has Very Good polish, which doesn't really affect anything optically, but once again knocks money off of the price because it can't be sold as a 3EX.

So as long as the stone isn't milky and your fiance to be wouldn't be put off by the word "brown" on the certificate, it would be easily 40% cheaper than it would be without all of the stacked "discounts." Oh and did I mention it's 5 carats?

wish I saw this post before I purchased my 4.02cts K, faint brown! (I absolutely love K, faint brown.)
 

AV_

Ideal_Rock
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Aug 5, 2018
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3,889
Digressing,

I can't be the only one who occasionally [nail]polishes my pavilion...

Of course not - www

... there are a few such items in public collections throughout Europe - I can think of five without thinking; perhaps less done in jewelry & I doubt that these were meant to look like diamonds with color of their own. These boxes contain the most beautiful cluster assemblies of old diamonds I know (you mentioned some such).

ramble
 

Rocko78

Rough_Rock
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Jun 5, 2020
Messages
53
I can’t thank everyone here enough for all your input and time helping me find the perfect diamond. She absolutely loved it. I end up getting the 4ct j vs1 with fluorescence that lovedogs posted on the very first day. Hope the pictures do some justice 2B27A351-E649-4335-B1E4-5998FFCF2AC7.jpeg 11B16805-9FBB-4A7F-8235-DB3D2F241457.jpeg
 
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