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Help me find a rock! (please) RB ~8mm $14,000-$16,500++

zeppelinkat

Rough_Rock
Joined
Oct 10, 2016
Messages
5
Hi everyone!

Long time lurker, this is my first post. I'm ready to purchase a round brilliant for my engagement ring. I'm looking for finger coverage and was happy around the 8mm mark, of course the larger the better. SI1, 2 are fine as long as it's eye clean. As far as color goes, I'm comfortable at a G-H, perhaps an I.

Now for the tricky part, after reading:

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/likelihood-of-finding-a-signature-super-ideal-diamond.174235/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/likelihood-of-finding-a-signature-super-ideal-diamond.174235/[/URL]

I think I'd like a near-ideal cut. I was considering http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3718113.htm But I think this cut might exceed what I need in a diamond and that I am paying a premium for my peace of mind that I'm getting a great cut (not to mention being more than I ideally want to spend). I'd like something that looks equivalently beautiful to a layperson, ie me

So I'm putting my max budget at the $17743 wire price of the wf diamond. Ideally I'd like to keep it at $16,500 and under, $14,000 is my sweet spot.

Thanks in advance for any help or advice you could provide! I've loved reading all the information and various opinions on pricescope and want to thank the community for providing such a valuable service.
 

Shoney

Rough_Rock
Joined
Sep 1, 2016
Messages
56
Hello! I just got an erring stone upgrade and we went with McGivern. The owner is super nice and responds to emails quickly. Shipping, quite happily, was free. His upgrade and return policies are also favorable.
As I found out with my first engagement stone, being rated an Excellent cut by GIA is not enough to guarantee a diamond will perform well. Here's a breakdown of the search parameters I found helpful: http://niceice.com/tolkowsky-ideal-cut-diamonds/..
When I found a diamond that met those proportions I'd run the numbers through the HCA here on Pricescope to make sure it came under 2.0. https://www.pricescope.com/tools/hca.. It is said the HCA is a tool to weed out the poorer cuts that exist even in Ideal or Excellent cut diamonds, but that other factors (personal preferences, color, budget) obviously play a significant role in decision-making as well. But knowing those parameters meant I could sort through the hundreds of round brilliant diamonds in our price range and come up with a list of possibilities.
From all the pics of warm colored diamonds here knew I was definitely willing to "sacrifice" color to get the size I wanted. Ended up with a super-sparkly 2 carat M color VVS2 diamond that I am very very happy with.
Hope that helps!
 

zeppelinkat

Rough_Rock
Joined
Oct 10, 2016
Messages
5
Shoney

Thanks for the advice.

It's just that I'm having a hard time locating alternate options that I feel are comparable. I can find diamonds with similar stats, but I'm not sure how they are visually comparable. I went to a B&M store and I couldn't see the difference between an excellent cut and a very good cut. So.... I'm feeling overwhelmed and unsure of what to purchase because I'm having a hard time visually distinguishing between diamonds.
 

Garnetgirl

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Dec 7, 2014
Messages
2,140
Jewellery store lighting is designed to make most diamonds look good. Perhaps that's why you couldn't see much difference between a very good cut and an excellent cut. Most will look sparkly under store lighting.
Try comparing diamonds in regular lighting. Apparently, that's when you'll see a that a mediocre cut won't sparkle as much as an excellent one.
 

zeppelinkat

Rough_Rock
Joined
Oct 10, 2016
Messages
5
Thank you! I put that one on hold. My concerns are 1. will the cavity collect grime and look dirty? 2. I was hoping to get to 8 mm. Is that silly? Would 7.7 look smaller? Should I spend the extra thousand+ for .3 more? And is the white flash diamond 'better'? Will the james allen and the white flash diamonds look pretty much the same to me?? Sorry for all the questions, I just really want to make sure I get this right. I really appreciate the help
 

mohelmo

Rough_Rock
Joined
Oct 30, 2016
Messages
24
Sure. I'm new here too and I had the same dilemma like you. I was picking between this one

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.52-carat-h-color-vvs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-2076374

and the one I recommended for you

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.73-carat-h-color-vs2-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-762216

I ended up picking the smaller diamond for the clarity. One is GIA and the other is AGS.

I love the one you have on hold. I would call JA and ask to speak to a gemologist or may be email them and raise your inclusion concerns and see what they'll say. The JA one has a better idealscope image I think (Not 100% sure)

It's your call. Not sure if I would pay 2k more for one degree less of clarity and a 0.3mm

Good luck!
 

zeppelinkat

Rough_Rock
Joined
Oct 10, 2016
Messages
5
Ugh diamondseeker2006 that's what I was afraid of! I'm glad to know you think I should go with the whiteflash. My only hesitation was the price, but I really want the 8mm. Do others agree? Thanks
 

diamondseeker2006

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jan 11, 2006
Messages
58,547
zeppelinkat|1478141304|4093144 said:
Ugh diamondseeker2006 that's what I was afraid of! I'm glad to know you think I should go with the whiteflash. My only hesitation was the price, but I really want the 8mm. Do others agree? Thanks

Let me just add, with WF, you can trade the diamond in 6 months from now (or tomorrow or anytime) for a larger (more expensive) one with full credit for the current diamond (minus shipping). But if you go smaller now with JA, for example, and later wish you had gone to 8mm, you'd be stuck because their upgrade policy requires you to spend double the original amount!

Diamond prices are on the low side right now, believe it or not. I encourage you to get as much as you can afford while prices are low. I have seen them spike up and go back down. It's a good time to buy. But if this particular stone is too much, I am sure there are other options.

I will just add that my diamond stud earrings are from WF, and I have actually upgraded them a couple of times to get to the size I wanted! I can honestly say that I have never been sorry for going for a quality diamond.
 

took86

Rough_Rock
Joined
Oct 10, 2016
Messages
14
diamondseeker2006|1478144878|4093161 said:
zeppelinkat|1478141304|4093144 said:
Ugh diamondseeker2006 that's what I was afraid of! I'm glad to know you think I should go with the whiteflash. My only hesitation was the price, but I really want the 8mm. Do others agree? Thanks

Let me just add, with WF, you can trade the diamond in 6 months from now (or tomorrow or anytime) for a larger (more expensive) one with full credit for the current diamond (minus shipping). But if you go smaller now with JA, for example, and later wish you had gone to 8mm, you'd be stuck because their upgrade policy requires you to spend double the original amount!

Diamond prices are on the low side right now, believe it or not. I encourage you to get as much as you can afford while prices are low. I have seen them spike up and go back down. It's a good time to buy. But if this particular stone is too much, I am sure there are other options.

I will just add that my diamond stud earrings are from WF, and I have actually upgraded them a couple of times to get to the size I wanted! I can honestly say that I have never been sorry for going for a quality diamond.

In your opinion, do you think this stone is priced well?
http://www.adiamor.com/Diamonds/I-VS2-Affinity-Cut-Round-Diamond/D33130774

thanks!
 
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