Help finding a round diamond

tcsurplus · Jun 9, 2015

Hello,

I am brand new to the diamond scene. I've read some of the threads, have talked with a few friends who recently bought rings, and have visited a couple of stores, but I am still kind of overwhelmed by the information out there.

I am looking for a round diamond that I would like to get in a setting similar to this one (http://www.bluenile.com/build-your-...-ring-platinum_44723?elem=title&track=product). My budget is about $25,000 - $27,500 all in. Can anyone suggest some good diamonds for that would work for that price range?

I'm probably most concerned about how sparkly it is, as opposed to just size.

Thanks!

telephone89 · Jun 9, 2015

tcsurplus · Jun 9, 2015

Thank you very much for all of those options. I'm not that familiar with the how different they would look in person (color and clarity). Do you think I'd be better off going a little smaller and going with a better color? Will the color be visible on a stone that big?

Thanks!

tweeter8177 · Jun 10, 2015

Color is a personal choice. I would recommend going to a store and having them show you GIA or AGS stones in different color ranges to see what you think. Most people would be very happy with a G or H or even an I as they are still going to face up white. I have both a 3.25ct and a 2.3ct diamond and they are both I color. They are very white to me and no one ever comments on the color, just the size! I did own a J for a bit and it was too tinted to me. Everyone has their sweet spot!

As far as clarity, again, everyone has their sweet spot. For me personally, I am happy with eye clean and don't care to spend more for clarity as long as the inclusions don't impact the brilliance/sparkle. Others prefer more of a mind clean stone where they can't see the inclusions even with a loope. Which camp are you comfortable with?

Good luck with the search! The options posted for you are really nice!

telephone89 · Jun 10, 2015

I totally agree with tweeter - personal preference. For ME personally, I will go for size, and skimp more on colour and clarity. So for ME, out of the options I posted, I would go for the 2.455 or the 2.412 i colour. For me, I colour is still quite colourless. I wouldnt go lower than that for an e-ring.

I purposely included some higher colours because there are some people who think I is too coloured, and prefer an H. So its really up to you. You can also contact whiteflash, as they may be able to take side by side photos and compare the colours for you. Perhaps one of the I colours is higher, and one is lower. Both are still I but can appear different.

You specified sparkle, and those are the some of the best sparklers out there! A better cut I will look whiter and sparklier than a poorly cut H.

tcsurplus · Jun 10, 2015

Thanks for all the options and the perspective.

I looked at some diamonds today in a store and think I would like to stay with H or better color. I'm not super concerned about the clarity, as long as it looks good. So I think probably anything SI1 or above is fine, right?

As far as the price for the diamond itself, maybe lets limit that to like $24,000, since I wanted the all in price (including the setting) to be $25,000 - $27,500. Sorry that I wasn't more clear in my initial post.

It is such a big decision and I feel so overwhelmed by all the options. Thanks so much for your help!

Dancing Fire · Jun 10, 2015

Nice stone if eye clean.

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3198013.htm#

tweeter8177 · Jun 10, 2015

See your other thread for a few options that are from Good old Gold too. I am not good with settings so maybe someone can recommend a setting from them that meets your needs. Beside the one Dancing Fire recommended at Whiteflash, which would be fabulous if eye clean (just ask them), they have a number of diamonds under your budget from 1.7-1.9 carats and F-H color range. When you look at WF, make sure you filter on "in-house" diamonds only. I don't think you want to deal with virtual inventory (it can be overwhelming and a lot more too learn!)

tcsurplus · Jun 11, 2015

Thanks everyone. I checked and unfortunately the Dancing Fire one isn't eye clean.

I'm leaning towards this one http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3358637.htm, but am also considering http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3428947.htm and http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3075971.htm. I think I'll see if whiteflash will send me a side by side picture, to see if I notice the color difference at all. I looked at an H today and couldn't really notice anything.

The first two will be a little higher than I wanted to go price wise, but not too much, so I think it is worth it. Let me know if anyone has any other suggestions.

Thanks again!

JDDN · Jun 11, 2015

You mentioned you're most concerned with how sparkly it is. All the ACA's you posted should be plenty sparkly.

You should ask WF about the colors. Do you think your gf is color sensitive? Many are totally good with an I, many are really not, so it totally depends on the wearer. You have a G, H, and an I option. If color may be an issue I'd stick with H or G. There's a pretty big color difference between an I and a G.

tcsurplus · Jun 11, 2015

Thanks. Yeah, I am leaning towards the H for that reason (trying to be safe). I think I might ask if they will send me a picture of all three next to eachother to see if I can really tell a difference. I looked at an H next to a D and E in a local store and I couldn't really pick out a difference in color. I doubt that my girlfriend will either (if just going down to H), especially if they all face white.

I know color sensitivity is subjective, but what do you guys think? Do you think an H would be a safe pick? Or should I go up to F or G if I'm not 100% sure? Anyone have an H and ever have anyone comment on the color or have it stand out to you?

Thanks!

telephone89 · Jun 11, 2015

I'd say H is very safe. But do get them to take a photo or video for you.

JDDN · Jun 11, 2015

I think in general an H is pretty safe. The problem is that color is graded by people

. Having seen some gorgeous white H's, those would be great choices. Recently I purchased a GIA graded H stone off a virtual inventory and it was appraised as a J! When I initially looked at it it looked very warm to me and I thought it looked more like a low I. So go figure. But I care about color, so for me a low H verging on an I or J wasn't acceptable and I returned the stone.

Also, looking at the E, F and H stones in the store isn't the best way to tell the difference between the colors. The store lighting is shining in a way to make ALL the stones look white and bright. Unless you can compare them in different lighting and different environments, you aren't going to get a realistic sense of the color difference.

If color is pretty important and your GF is color sensitive then safe is probably a G. If she's not super color sensitive and you want a white facing stone, then I think an H is pretty safe (as long as it wasn't the one I just returned!).

emmebee · Jun 11, 2015

tcsurplus|1433981411|3887625 said:
Thanks for all the options and the perspective.

I looked at some diamonds today in a store and think I would like to stay with H or better color. I'm not super concerned about the clarity, as long as it looks good. So I think probably anything SI1 or above is fine, right?

As far as the price for the diamond itself, maybe lets limit that to like $24,000, since I wanted the all in price (including the setting) to be $25,000 - $27,500. Sorry that I wasn't more clear in my initial post.

It is such a big decision and I feel so overwhelmed by all the options. Thanks so much for your help!

Just so you know, unless the diamonds you were looking at in the store were GIA or AGS-certified, they were probably a lower color than represented in the store...

tcsurplus · Jun 12, 2015

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for all of your help. I'm getting ready to pull the trigger. I am still leaning towards the 2.132 H I referenced above. Whiteflash sent me a couple pictures of 4 stones next to eachother (the three I was considering above and one other I found). Attached below are the pictures, as well as the hearts photo of the 2.132 H as well.

A couple of questions:

#1 - Do you think the black specs in the top (between 12 and 1 o'clock) of the 2.132 H stone are real imperfections, or just something with the photo?

#2 - Are all of the black specs between 9 and 10 o'clock in the heart a concern?

Thanks everyone!

JDDN · Jun 12, 2015

Ask someone at WF to pull the stone and look at it for you. Ask about the inclusions (that is what you're seeing as black specks). It says that it's eye clean so verify that you would not be able to see the inclusions with your naked eye.

For what it's worth, the 2.22 I looks great. Looks like a really nice I stone.

tcsurplus · Jun 12, 2015

Ok, thanks. I emailed Whiteflash. The stone is VS2, does that seem like a lot of inclusions? Or is it just that the photos are pretty zoomed in?

Thanks!

JDDN · Jun 12, 2015

It's super zoomed in. I'm betting that it's nice and eye clean. But it's a good idea to talk to someone at WF about it. They can even pull the H stone and compare it to the I stone in real life if you were curious about the two.

tcsurplus · Jun 12, 2015

I heard back from WF. This is what they had to say:

For the H color diamond, what you’re seeing near the edge of the stone are inclusions. Or, more accurately, they’re actually reflections of inclusions (the inclusions themselves are closer to the center, and you can see their exact location on the certificate as well). These same spots are also visible in the picture online, at about the 5 o’clock position (the stone was in a different position in the online picture than in the new images I sent). However, the diamond is eye clean, even as close as 6-10” face up. It’s normal to be able to see inclusions in magnified images, just by virtue of them being magnified. But these won’t be nearly as apparent in real life.

With regard to these four, I will say that in terms overall sparkle and beauty, they were really really similar. None stood out to me in particular, but then again, it’s very difficult (usually almost impossible) to tell apart ACA diamonds based on sparkle/beauty alone, just because the specs are so narrow. So that’s to be expected. Admittedly I am color sensitive, so I could pick out the I color stone, especially if it was next to the Gs. I don't dislike the I color by any means, but I could tell which one it was. The I color diamond also didn’t have a size advantage over the H color for me. I think the H color was actually a really nice balance of size/color/clarity, so I think it’s a great choice.

What do you guys think? Stick with the H? Or go with one of the Gs? I'd probably rather not go down to the I, just because I'm not sure how color sensitive my gf is and wouldn't want to go too colored.

tweeter8177 · Jun 12, 2015

I would get the H. It hits the 2 carat mark and is visibly bigger than the G. You have one lucky girlfriend! She will love any of your choices!!!

tcsurplus · Jun 17, 2015

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for all of your help. I'm getting ready to pull the trigger and make a decision (I promise). I just wanted to get your thoughts on a few more stones. I am slightly concerned about the inclusions visible in the picture of the H listed above from WF. Would you stick with the H listed above from WF, or go with one of these?

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-dia...h-color-vvs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-532279
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-dia...-h-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-529024
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-dia...-h-color-vs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-538562

You think I should get ideal scope images of these, or just run with the H from WF? Thanks for your patience! I really appreciate all of your insight, it has been so helpful during this process.

Thanks!

Help finding a round diamond

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