Help me "pre-plan" my ering on small budget

[Kalliope]

Hello pricescopers ,

Though DBF and I aren't engaged (yet ) we've been talking about engagement rings and visited some jewelry stores to try on some styles. I always wanted a MRB in a 4- or 6-prong-setting or a three stone with small side stones (which DBF isn't a fan of). But the last store we visited had a cushion in a double prong setting and I loved the crushed ice look .

Unfortunately over here where I live (Europe) certified diamonds are rare as well as expensive and fancy cuts are hard to find.
DBF isn't convinced of the whole buying-online process so I want to show him that we'd get the best out of our money this way.

Budget is approx. 1500-2000$ (incl. shipping) for the diamond- I'm looking for a stone with lots of fire and sparkle , colourwise I would go down to a J, for clarity I'd like a VS2 or better. Maybe you could find me some MRBs or cushions to see what ct-range we're aiming at with the budget.

Thanks for your help, appreciate it !

 

[tyty333]

Maybe something like these...
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/0.90-carat-j-color-si1-clarity-sku-369115
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/0.70-carat-g-color-vs2-clarity-sku-367197
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/0.81-carat-h-color-si1-clarity-sku-371446

How about a radiant? They come in crushed ice.
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/radiant-cut/0.90-carat-k-color-vs2-clarity-sku-135381 not really crushed ice but should
have lots of little sparkles

Round
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.70-carat-j-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-288534

 

[NAVA11182005]

http://www.ritani.com/diamonds/princess-diamond-1-20-Carat-K-color-GIA-certified/D-M2SHWK ( video of actual diamond
http://www.ritani.com/diamonds/cushion-diamond-0-91-Carat-K-color-GIA-certified/D-VNRQJ2 ( video of actual diamond
http://www.ritani.com/diamonds/cushion-diamond-1-01-Carat-K-color-GIA-certified/D-CNRPWQ ( video of actual diamond
http://www.ritani.com/diamonds/radiant-diamond-0-53-Carat-I-color-GIA-certified/D-113SFF video of actual diamond

I know you didn't mention princess or color k but this one is stunning , there is video of actual diamond . I know they have great customer service and free returns if you don't love the diamond . There are a lot venders that price scope uses have to be ready look through them all .

 

[Snowdrop13]

Please don't forget that taxes will take a big chunk of the budget- not sure which country you're in but here in the UK they will add 20-25% to the total. And fully insured shipping is often as much as $100.... There are European online sellers, prices are higher than US companies but might be worth a look? I've used cooldiamonds.com, for example and been happy with the results. Or how about buying pre-loved? Definitely good value for money but you will have to shop around and do lots of research! Good luck with the search.

P.S. there are lots of threads on here covering suggestions for all budgets and also plenty of advice for buying from e.g. eBay.

 

[Sunstorm]

Hi OP, I would definitely caution you to not buy from ebay and the like. While I think that on a tight budget preowned can be a great option, you do have to be careful when buying here in Europe as most diamonds you will find are duds, though it may also depend on where you live. Yes, shipping can be a large chunk although if you are and buy within the EU then prices may be higher because VAT is included. For your budget in my opinion you can buy a great diamond and yes definitely with certificate, top cut and you may not need to go down so much in color although if that is what you like then great as you can go up in carat weight. Not sure I noticed if you said what carat weight range you were looking for. No matter what you are looking for, this budget will allow you to get a nice stone whether you buy in Europe or elsewhere.

 

[MissMilena]

Hi,

I know how you feel. I also live in Europe and a diamond isn't easy to shop for here, especially fancy cuts. I wanted an EC and finally found one at a BM store to look at and the sales lady tried to convince me that I was looking at a princess... Well, in the end we also ended up buying online and were able to pick out a beautiful diamond at a much better price. A good return policy also made the decision easier.

But like snowdrop said, when buying online, you have to figure in taxes and maybe import duties depending on where you live.

 

[Kalliope]

Thanks for your inputs!

I saw that some of the diamonds you found are "good" or "very good" in cut or symmetry- I thought I should only consider excellent or ideal cut quality (plus idealscope/ASET) to get the best light performance? I tried to educate myself and watched some videos from goodoldgold, now I know that finding a good crushed ice cushion isn't that easy . Still not sure if I want a MRB, a cushion or a three stone *sigh*.

I know you didn't mention princess or color k but this one is stunning , there is video of actual diamond . I know they have great customer service and free returns if you don't love the diamond . There are a lot venders that price scope uses have to be ready look through them all .

Though the stone is great, princess cut is not what I'm looking for. Also I don't want to bother with the whole process of returns, so I'll have to choose wisely which stone to buy (that's why I'm asking you guys ).

Please don't forget that taxes will take a big chunk of the budget- not sure which country you're in but here in the UK they will add 20-25% to the total. And fully insured shipping is often as much as $100.... Or how about buying pre-loved? Definitely good value for money but you will have to shop around and do lots of research!

I already asked about the taxes at the customhouse- for a loose stone they add 20% to the total (including shipping costs, as you already mentioned). In addition to that I have to bear in mind the costs for wire transfer as most of the US vendors don't take credit cards from international customers (that's why I'm considering Bluenile). The 2000$ absolute max (would like to stay under) includes 100$ shipping but no taxes. Buying preloved is something I'm open to.

you do have to be careful when buying here in Europe as most diamonds you will find are duds

Yep, exactly.

Not sure I noticed if you said what carat weight range you were looking for. No matter what you are looking for, this budget will allow you to get a nice stone whether you buy in Europe or elsewhere.

I'm not aiming at a certain carat weight range, just want to get a top cut stone with lots of sparkle for my (DBFs) money. If this means we could afford a stone around 0.5ct I would be more than happy . When trying on various sizes both DBF and I thought we shouldn't go much bigger than a 0.75ct for a single stone anyway (although the cushion I mentioned was a 1ct rectangular shaped one and faced up just slightly bigger than the 0.53 MRB next to it- so I guess for a square cushion I should stay at the 0.75ct range, too).

Well, in the end we also ended up buying online and were able to pick out a beautiful diamond at a much better price. A good return policy also made the decision easier.

Glad that you found a great stone! May I asked which online vendor you used?

 

[Sunstorm]

Hmm, I am not sure why you think that here in Europe you cannot find a great stone within that price range, I would just advise you against a B&M store because though you have not said where you lived, in my area they have very high prices and the quality is less than ideal most of the time. You can find ideal diamonds but the prices are very high. I am physically located in two countries, in one you can find top jewelry but the prices are stellar, in the other the quality is well substandard and the prices are still very high. Going online is a great option but you do not have to buy outside the EU, again this depends on a lot of factors like your location. If you live in the UK then it likely makes no difference as to taxes. Then you may be best off buying from the US. Others can probably tell you their experiences about that. I am confident that you will be able to find a very nice stone within your parameters and budget.

 

[MissMilena]

We did go with Blue Nile but still payed by wire transfer. There is an additional wire discount, but I don't really remember how much the bank charged us for the transfer.

Still, it's risky to buy without any pictures and an ASET/Idealscope (especially for fancy/step cuts) which Blue Nile does usually not provide. We were lucky and the EC is beautiful. The customer service was really nice as well. I was still fully prepared to exchange the diamond and try again. We also had the diamond checked by an independent appraiser within the return period and before we had it set.

I am sure the experts here will help you find a beautiful diamond!

 

[Snowdrop13]

Have you considered an old cut? Unusual and uncommon but v pretty, I like this ring!

http://www.jewelsbygrace.com/new-additions/62ct-vintage-step-style-old-european-cut-diamond-ring.html#.VCV96su9KSM

 

[Kalliope]

Have you considered an old cut? Unusual and uncommon but v pretty, I like this ring!

http://www.jewelsbygrace.com/new-additions/62ct-vintage-step-style-old-european-cut-diamond-ring.html#.VCV96su9KSM

It's very nice but I'm not so much into the big chunky facets of an OEC.

We did go with Blue Nile but still payed by wire transfer. There is an additional wire discount, but I don't really remember how much the bank charged us for the transfer.

Still, it's risky to buy without any pictures and an ASET/Idealscope (especially for fancy/step cuts) which Blue Nile does usually not provide. We were lucky and the EC is beautiful. The customer service was really nice as well. I was still fully prepared to exchange the diamond and try again. We also had the diamond checked by an independent appraiser within the return period and before we had it set.

I am sure the experts here will help you find a beautiful diamond!

Good to hear that you had a great experience with buying from Bluenile! I think going with their Signature line would be an option, although I'm not sure if I could find a nice crushed ice cushion this way. DBF still isn't convinced of buying online, and much less if there aren't any pictures provided.

 

[Kalliope]

So, I have been looking at some RBs and cushions at Bluenile (Signature Ideals) and I've got a question:

Is the "actual size photo" in the GCAL-report exactly what I'll see when looking at the diamond in normal (diffused) lighting? Looks kind of dark to me ?
http://www.bluenile.com/at/build-your-own-ring/diamonds?stockno=LD04473847

Also I know that you don't recommend buying from Bluenile other than a signature ideal but I thought going down to an ideal (GIA ex) with an HCA<2 (I know that it's a rejection, not a selection tool) would be ok for me (I watched some videos from the GOG site and could barely see a difference between a GIA very good and an ideal cut). I mean, I guess such a stone would still be much, much better value for money than everything I could buy in the B&M stores over here .

I've been talking to DBF and our budget for the stone (still don't know if I want to buy the setting online as well, though I like those on Bluenile) would be max. 2000$ (at Bluenile/James Allen e.g. as they ship for free) or 1900$ at the other vendors. That would get me a nice 0.70ct Sig Ideal cushion or 0.61 Sig Ideal RB at Bluenile for example. I know that shopping online for a RB is a little bit easier but what are the chances for me to get a nice cushion (modern faceted, I like the crushed ice a lot) in my budget- at GOG or other reputable vendors?

 

[DL]

I just bought from blue Nile blind but my budget for the stone was much less < $1k Canadian.

But i followed some guides out there and I did find some AGS cert diamonds. On paper they look good at least based on the limited amount of knowledge that I have crammed into my head so far searching.

Maybe something like this might work? A little under your budget at least if it is based on Euro and sent to UK. To change currencies since I didn't know your country i selected UK and Euro.

http://www.bluenile.com/uk/diamond-details/LD02485263
AGS 104055025019

A little smaller at 0.56 but it is a G, VVS1, AGS 000

I don't know if the Table and depth and such are ideal, i don't know which part of the range for that stuff is "good" besides what HCA tells me, but according to HCA it comes out as a 1.2 EX, EX, EX, VG.