Help me Decide on Best 1.0CT

[jstrunk]

Hello all! my first post! and maybe my most important one too!

So im looking for a 1carat round solitaire engagement ring . Im looking for the best possible sparkle and just an overall amazing diamond while not going overboard with something she will NEVER be able to compare...

as vain as it is... a good friend of her''s got engaged and the guy said it was a 1.5carat. it was pretty yes, however there seemed to be a lack of sparkle.. almost.. too clear.. but only clear. I want it to sparkle A LOT and be BEAUTIFUL... so i have some here for comparison from BlueNile.

Am i on the right track? i tried to concentrate on Cut mostly (Signature Ideal by BlueNile.. not sure what standard this is) and then color (tried to get colorless to have a nice colored sparkle), then clarity as much so that it wouldn''t interfere with the actual sparkle potential of the diamond. I also heard that you wanted about a 58-62% depth and a 59-61% table size... but the "signature ideal" diamonds dont have this.. anyways

It will be a tiffany style solitair round engagement ring (6 prong)

Hmmm which of the below would be the BEST diamond for what im looking for (SUPER PRETTY and SUPER CLEAN and above all, SUPER SPARKLY)

Diamond 1)
Price: 8,347
Carat Weight: 1.00
Cut: Ideal
Color: F
Clarity: VVS2
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Excellent
L/W Ratio: 1.01
Grading Report: GIA
Depth %: 59.9
Table %: 58.0
Measurements: 6.51 x 6.55 x 2.91mm
Fluorescence: none
Girdle: thin to medium
Culet: none

Diamond 2)
Price: 7,720
Carat Weight: 1.15
Cut: Ideal
Color: F
Clarity: VS1
Polish Excellent
Symmetry: Excellent
L/W Ratio: 1.01
Grading Report: GIA
Depth %: 60.9
Table %: 59
Measurements: 7.82 x 6.75 x 4.13mm
Fluorescence: none
Girdle: thin to slightly thick
Culet: none

Diamond 3)
Price: 7,597
Carat Weight: 1.04
Cut: Ideal
Color: F
Clarity: VS1
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Excellent
L/W Ratio: 1.01
Grading Report: GIA
Depth %: 60.5
Table %: 60
Measurements: 6.53x6.57x3.96mm
Fluorescence: none
Girdle: medium to slightly thick
Culet: none

Diamond 4)
Price: 6,725
Carat Weight: 1.01
Cut: Ideal
Color: F
Clarity: VS1
Polish Ideal
Symmetry: Ideal
L/W Ratio: 1.01
Grading Report: AGSL
Depth %: 59.9
Table %: 58.1
Measurements: 6.50x6.56x3.91
Fluorescence: none
Girdle: medium to very thick
Culet: none

Diamond 5)
Price: 7,600
Carat Weight: 1.02
Cut: Signature Ideal
Color: E
Clarity: VS2
Polish Excellent
Symmetry: Excellent
L/W Ratio: 1.01
Grading Report: GIA/GCAL
Depth %: 61.4
Table %: 57.0
Measurements: 6.46x6.51x3.98mm
Fluorescence: none
Girdle: medium to slightly thick
Culet: none

Diamond 6)
Price: 8,367
Carat Weight: 1.02
Cut: Signature Ideal
Color: F
Clarity: VS1
Polish Excellent
Symmetry: Excellent
L/W Ratio: 1.00
Grading Report: GIA/GCAL
Depth %: 61.1
Table %: 56
Measurements: 6.53x6.50x3.98mm
Fluorescence: none
Girdle: thin
Culet: none

Yay! my first post!

THANK YOU ALL!!!!!

 

[JulieN]

while not going overboard with something she will NEVER be able to compare...

Then eliminate anything VS1 and above. That's all of them, right? Also, E color is a bit overboard, as mounted F and G are indistinguishable from a D color stone.

Is an upgrade policy important to you, because BN does not offer upgrades.

 

[Lorelei]

Welcome!

Sorry to have to make you do more work, but can you post the crown and pavilion angles for each diamond please? The angles are crucial so we can judge which are the best cut. It is cut which gives a diamond its beauty, not colour or clarity if eyeclean and you will find VS clarity ranges ( GIA/ AGS) will be for the most part completely eyeclean, and plenty of SI clarity can be also. Table, I would suggest looking at around 54 - 57%, you can go larger but those who want the best cut generally prefer this range. Depth, I suggest 60 - 62.4% as a guide.

 

[SYC]

Welcome!

Just a thought -- unless you definitely want to go with Blue Nile, there are very many good reasons to go with a different company for what you''re looking for. Price, upgrade policy (if important), and most importantly, the kind of information re the diamond that you''ll get. For example, see the Idealscope images for the diamonds below:

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/Whiteflash-ACA-cut-diamond-1848203.htm#
(this is $7735 w/ PS discount)

Or this from Good Old Gold:
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/5442/

Or this from James Allen:
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1197190.asp?b=16&a=12&c=77&cid=131

 

[jstrunk]

What do you mean "upgrade policy" i don't see how this would be important however i don't know enough about it to really say it wouldn't be in my field of interest.

i attempted to find the additional information from BlueNile but i was unable to really find that type of information. Are Crown and Pavilion angles on the GIA report? if so, what angles would i be looking for?

I believe ill try to stay in the 1carat - 1.25carat range.


yeah i only picked bluenile because it was rated really highly... according to several google searches with reviews.

 

[SYC]

Date: 1/31/2009 3:18:31 PM
Author: jstrunk
What do you mean ''upgrade policy'' i don''t see how this would be important however i don''t know enough about it to really say it wouldn''t be in my field of interest.

i attempted to find the additional information from BlueNile but i was unable to really find that type of information. Are Crown and Pavilion angles on the GIA report? if so, what angles would i be looking for?

I believe ill try to stay in the 1carat - 1.25carat range.


yeah i only picked bluenile because it was rated really highly... according to several google searches with reviews.

An upgrade policy is only important if you think you may want to get a larger diamond in the future. The diamond in my engagement ring is from Blue Nile because they had exactly what we were looking for, but otherwise, I would say that other vendors have better customer service, generally lower prices (though most diamonds online are better priced than what you''d get in a B&M store anyway), and most importantly -- they give you all the information you need to judge whether a diamond is likely to be a truly excellent performer.

Take a look at some of the tutorials on this site -- basically, if you''re looking for the most beautiful, sparkly diamond, it''s all about the cut. So don''t compromise on that. But, as others indicated, there is no need at all to get VVS2 or VS1 -- you are basically paying for something you won''t be able to see. Personally though, I do like to stick to VS1 and VS2 as a "just in case" kind of thing. Anyway, to judge cut, you really need to know crown and pavilion angles, and ideally, see an Idealscope image, ASET image, etc. BN doesn''t do Idealscope, and just doesn''t give you very much info overall. They do have a good return policy though.

I have an ACA pendant from Whiteflash, and can attest the ACAs are incredibly cut, beautiful stones. So personally I would recommend checking out Whiteflash, and also Good Old Gold (if you go their website, you''ll see some great diamond videos).

 

[Kelli]

If you don't want overkill on things she'll never be able to compare, I feel that anything over VS2 is a bit of a waste of budget. I certainly understand that some want "mind perfect" stones, but if you're not one of those people, higher than VS2 just eats up more of the budget that could be spent on SIZE!!! And personally, I feel the same way about color. D,E, and F are colorless, but face up when mounted in a ring, they won't look any different from a G or H. As the others have already mentioned, you need crown and pavilion angles to really assess the cut, and I also recommend the other vendors that have been suggested because they give more and better information on potential stones than Blue Nile. Good luck!

 

[swingirl]

Personally, I would look in other places than BN. They don't offer all the evaluating tools that other vendors do and although they do have a good 30-day return policy it puts more of a burden on you to get your stone appraised.

Your friend's stone might be 1.50ct but chances are it's a poorly cut. What you noticed is how unsparkly it was NOT the color are clarity, which means when you have a beautifully cut stone that shines and sparkles, the color and clarity can be lower.

1.35ct F SI2 from GOG
I like this one because of the nice size and high color.


I like this one, too. lower color, but lower price.1.32ct H SI2 from GOG

But if you really want to stick with 1ct here's my pick. 1.01ct G SI1

 

[jstrunk]

Sounds like everyone talks about crown and pavilion angles... how should these angles look or what should i be aiming for? Seems like i can get from a DEFG color (any of them an it won''t make a difference to the eye, a VS1 clarity at the lowest(i guess SI2 but some peace of mind is nice) and then just make sure that the crown and pavilion angles, table and depth% are good, and that the cut is of the highest measurements possible?

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 2/1/2009 11:09:19 PM
Author: jstrunk
Sounds like everyone talks about crown and pavilion angles... how should these angles look or what should i be aiming for? Seems like i can get from a DEFG color (any of them an it won't make a difference to the eye, a VS1 clarity at the lowest(i guess SI2 but some peace of mind is nice) and then just make sure that the crown and pavilion angles, table and depth% are good, and that the cut is of the highest measurements possible?

Here are some numbers and angle ranges you can use as a guide.

depth - 60 - 62% - although my personal preference is to allow up to 62.4%
table - 54- 57%
crown angle - 34- 35 degrees
pavilion angle - 40.6- 41 degrees
girdle - avoid extremes, look for thin to slightly thick, thin to medium etc
polish and symmetry - very good and above

note - with crown and pavilion angles at the shallower ends ( CA 34- PA 40.6) and steeper ( CA 35- PA 41) check to make sure these angles complement in that particular diamond - eyeballs, Idealscope, trusted vendor input - check as appropriate!

Also here are some good angle combos which might help from one of the experts John Pollard.

Here's a "Cliff's Notes" for staying near Tolkowsky/ideal angles with GIA reports (their numbers are rounded): A crown angle of 34.0, 34.5 or 35.0 is usually safe with a 40.8 pavilion angle. If pavilion angle = 40.6 lean toward a 34.5-35.0 crown. If pavilion angle = 41 lean toward a 34.0-34.5 crown.

GIA "EX" in cut is great at its heart, but it ranges a bit wider than some people prefer, particularly in deep combinations (pavilion > 41 with crown > 35).

 

[jstrunk]

How do you get a PS discount from whiteflash? some reason can''t seem to see the PS price.

Thanks again!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 2/28/2009 12:59:53 PM
Author: jstrunk
How do you get a PS discount from whiteflash? some reason can''t seem to see the PS price.

Thanks again!

Just check with the vendor, sometimes you need to pay by bank wire to get the discount but check in your particular case.

 

[jstrunk]

Diamond 1:
ROUND
Carat: 1.03
Color: F
Clarity: VS2
Cut: EX
Certified: GIA
Depth: 61.9
Table: 55.0
Florescence: Medium Blue
Girdle: Thin to Medium
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Excellent
Crown Angle: 34.5
Pavilion Angle: 40.8
Cost: $7,362

Diamond 2:
ROUND
Carat: 1.10
Color: G
Clarity: VS2
Certified: GIA
Depth: 61.9
Table: 56.0
Florescence: None
Girdle: Medium to Slightly Thick
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Excellent
Crown Angle: 34.5
Pavilion Angle: 40.8
Cost: $7,071

Diamond 3:
ROUND
Carat: 1.02
Color: G
Clarity: VS2
Certified: GIA
Depth: 61.1
Table: 57.0
Florescence: None
Girdle: Thin to Medium
Crown Angle: 34.5
Pavilion Angle: 40.8
Cost: $6,590


Would there be ANY difference with these? i think these are all up to spec 1carat diamonds

The setting would be a solitaire 6-prong tiffany style. Round. Im spending a lot on the proposal itself.. maybe about 5-7grand... so if she wont be able to tell any difference(she also has really bad eye sight... poor girl..) then i could vest the money into a more extravagant proposal scenario (not sure how much more extravagant to get)

Thanks you guys! i think im going to be picking up the ring here in a couple of weeks. I didn't want to give the name of place that i found these diamonds cause i wanted it to be as non-biased as possible.

Thanks again!

 

[megeve]

On numbers alone, all sound good! If you are within budget, I would go for #2 because of size.

 

[Lorelei]

They all look great! As to any differences, we can't tell by numbers so much, there could be subtle variances and of characteristics between them. ASET or Idealscope images would be very useful but they all look to be excellent diamonds as far as I can tell from the numbers.

Do you have the diameter measurements for each also please?

 

[jstrunk]

Diamond 1
6.51 x 6.49 x 4.02 mm
Diamond 2
6.64 x 6.61 x 4.10 mm
Diamond 3
6.51 x 6.48 x 3.97 mm


I don''t think size would make that big of a differnce... .08carat?

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 3/2/2009 4:27:39 AM
Author: jstrunk
Diamond 1
6.51 x 6.49 x 4.02 mm
Diamond 2
6.64 x 6.61 x 4.10 mm
Diamond 3
6.51 x 6.48 x 3.97 mm


I don''t think size would make that big of a differnce... .08carat?

I like the diameters to see what the variance is also. Those look fine.

 

[stone-cold11]

Date: 3/2/2009 4:27:39 AM
Author: jstrunk
Diamond 1
6.51 x 6.49 x 4.02 mm

Diamond 2
6.64 x 6.61 x 4.10 mm

Diamond 3
6.51 x 6.48 x 3.97 mm

I don''t think size would make that big of a differnce... .08carat?

personal preference 2 & 3 then. #3 for the budget.

 

[Ellen]

Date: 3/2/2009 12:47:39 AM
Author: jstrunk

Would there be ANY difference with these? i think these are all up to spec 1carat diamonds

The setting would be a solitaire 6-prong tiffany style. Round. Im spending a lot on the proposal itself.. maybe about 5-7grand... so if she wont be able to tell any difference(she also has really bad eye sight... poor girl..) then i could vest the money into a more extravagant proposal scenario (not sure how much more extravagant to get)

Thanks you guys! i think im going to be picking up the ring here in a couple of weeks. I didn't want to give the name of place that i found these diamonds cause i wanted it to be as non-biased as possible.

Thanks again!

Just a thought here, please, feel free to ignore. "Most" gals are size gals, but not all. And if you asked these gals which they would rather have, a bigger diamond and a simple/romantic proposal, or, a smaller diamond/extravagant proposal, they would take the bigger diamond.

Also, you mentioned her eyesight is not the best, perhaps a bigger diamond would be easier to see and appreciate? Again, this is just a thought I had, so I thought I'd throw it out there for possible consideration.

Of these 3, I'd pick 2.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 3/2/2009 7:56:35 AM
Author: Ellen

Date: 3/2/2009 12:47:39 AM
Author: jstrunk

Would there be ANY difference with these? i think these are all up to spec 1carat diamonds

The setting would be a solitaire 6-prong tiffany style. Round. Im spending a lot on the proposal itself.. maybe about 5-7grand... so if she wont be able to tell any difference(she also has really bad eye sight... poor girl..) then i could vest the money into a more extravagant proposal scenario (not sure how much more extravagant to get)

Thanks you guys! i think im going to be picking up the ring here in a couple of weeks. I didn''t want to give the name of place that i found these diamonds cause i wanted it to be as non-biased as possible.

Thanks again!

Just a thought here, please, feel free to ignore. ''Most'' gals are size gals, but not all. And if you asked these gals which they would rather have, a bigger diamond and a simple/romantic proposal, or, a smaller diamond/extravagant proposal, they would take the bigger diamond.

Also, you mentioned her eyesight is not the best, perhaps a bigger diamond would be easier to see and appreciate? Again, this is just a thought I had, so I thought I''d throw it out there for possible consideration.

Of these 3, I''d pick 2.

Good point.

 

[Ellen]

Date: 3/2/2009 7:59:19 AM
Author: Lorelei

Good point.

Why thank you. I have them, occasionally.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 3/2/2009 8:12:25 AM
Author: Ellen

Date: 3/2/2009 7:59:19 AM
Author: Lorelei

Good point.

Why thank you. I have them, occasionally.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

#2...go for the largest diameter when all the stones are ideal cut!

 

[jstrunk]

hmmm well, im still going to elaborate on the proposal. I think choice 2 probably works out real nicely and i think it will look beautiful.

Im sure this is in the FAQ''s but i noticed some places sell diamonds with like.. 104? or.. 108? facets.. what is that about?

Thanks again!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 3/4/2009 3:17:03 AM
Author: jstrunk
hmmm well, im still going to elaborate on the proposal. I think choice 2 probably works out real nicely and i think it will look beautiful.

Im sure this is in the FAQ's but i noticed some places sell diamonds with like.. 104? or.. 108? facets.. what is that about?

Thanks again!

Some of these are proprietry cuts, your choice will be super.

One of the extra faceted cuts available is the branded Solasfera

http://www.goodoldgold.com/ShapeTutorials/Solasfera/

 

[jstrunk]

Does the extra facets hurt the diamond or make it less valuable... looks extra sparkly to me.