Help for a Confused Guy

[Pac Man]

Hi everyone,

I''ve been visiting this board for a few months now and have finally plucked up the courage to make my first post! I''m planning to propose to my lovely girlfriend very soon - hopefully at Christmas, but maybe later if I keep struggling to pick a ring! - and would really like to get some advice from you all. I''ve been looking around for a ring for about four weeks now and have identified a cushion-cut style that I really like (it has a halo of smaller diamonds around the centre stone). The stone is also bezel set so you can''t really see the sides.

I wondered if anyone would have answers to the few questions that have been troubling me most lately:

1. How important is clarity? My sales advisor has found rings for me ranging between VVS1 and VS1. In appearance terms, is there a big difference between these clarities? If I were to pick a VS1 ring, would this still be adequate? Can the eye pick up any imperfections at VS1?

2. How would a G or H colour diamond look? My advisor has been able to find a number of rings with either G or H colour - but did not have any instore, the lowest colour I saw was an F. Will they look grey? Or isn''t there much difference between an F and, say, a H?

3. How tight should the ring fit? I took my girlfriend to look at rings a while ago and she had her measurements taken. The man serving us said that the ring should not move around and that there should be resistance at the knuckle. But my girlfriend felt that the size he recommended was slightly tight. Is this how the ring should feel?

I''ve already learnt so much from this amazing website but any thoughts on my specific questions would be really welcome! Thanks.

 

[BlingADing]

Congrats!! I am so happy for you and your soon to be fiancé! There are far more qualified people to respond here, however from working briefly at GIA grading diamonds there are very excellent eye clean diamonds below a vs2. I have a vs2 g and it looks flawless and colorless to the eye. I would recommend focusing on the cut. From there (IMO) anything h or higher and si1 or higher should be ok. To me, cut is very important because you could have a non-sparky colorless and flawless stone.

 

[gls]

Hi!

Congrats on deciding to propose! I agree with blingading. I personally prefer a higher clarity and a good cut. VS1 is a very good stone and should not have visible imperfections however if the price is in your range I would choose a VVS1. I think that there is more peace of mind, but I think that just be my preferance and most would prefer a lower clarity and a larger stone.

I always wanted a E-F stone and got a G-H because it still looked crisp and white and gorgeous! Colour wise I would not worry a G-H will still look just as good. You do get rare moments where you do see warmth (yellowish tones) but this I feel adds to the diamonds personality. If you look around you will see many that are lower than an H which still look white.

Good luck with finding the perfect ring. Im sure your fiance to be will love it.

 

[Pac Man]

Thanks for the replies, BlingaDing and gls. And thanks for your congratulations! I don''t know what I''d do without this place...

1. Clarity - The ring I''m looking at is cushion cut and the cut is patented. I''m guessing this means that each diamond will be cut to the same specifications but I may be wrong? My sales advisor didn''t show me any certificates. She only told me that it was a "cushion". The diamond is square and didn''t seem to sparkle like the round stones looked to. I liked this and know that my girlfriend does too. I''m just concerned that because the stone has a flat appearence and does not have the brilliant facets of a round, any inclusions will be easier to spot. Would this be correct? If so, would I be safe picking a VS1 or should I look to see if my budget can get better?

2. Colour - I''ve looked at E and F instore and felt like the F looked more grey but, to be honest, I could have just been imagining this. I''d looked at so many rings and my head was sort of spinning!! I think that my budget is only going to be able to stretch to a G or H. Would these look okay in a cushion? I just don''t want it to look too grey or dull which already seems a big risk because I''m not going for a round brilliant. I''ve also only looked at these diamonds under the lighting in the store which prpbably helps to make everything look better - should I ask to take it near a window or will that freak out security, ha ha?!

Thanks again!

 

[Pac Man]

Just an update, I spoke with my sales advisor today and she can bring into store a G with VVS1 clarity.... or a H with VS1 clarity. Would these look okay in a cushion? She''s saying that there''ll be a $500 difference between the two. Does this seem fair? Thanks again everyone!!

 

[Gailey]

Pac Man

Congratulations on your forthcoming engagement.

Might I suggest you take your original post over to Rocky Talk. You will get a lot more advice on this stage of your project over there.

Good luck.

 

[gls]

For an extra 500 I would go for the G VVS1 but maybe Im biased because I have one

Ive attached some pics which I think show the colour of it.
The F that you saw might have been "greyish" becuase of the lighting or a bad cut.
The pictures that im sending of mine do show a touch of yellow but I see this about 1% of the time in person

 

[gls]

this is a clearer shot

 

[gls]

showing a more yellow tinge