Help needed: 0.6-0.7 Carat, G, VS2, Ideal cut round

[whoiswes]

pretty much says it all.

Here is the short story. The reason I''m looking for such a small diamond is that 1. I''m broke, 2. We bought a house, and 3. She''s a zookeeper, and she needs something small and streamlined.

I have the setting being made as we speak by a local jeweler. So that much is taken care of.

But I am now faced with deciding between a dozen stones with the above specs. Most of the rocks in this area are running about $1900-2100. I''ve been looking at GOG and BlueNile (both seem to be about the same price for comparable stones) and DCD (cheaper, but they have been quick to respond to my request for Sarin reports).

First off, is there anyplace else I should look?

Second, should I bump the stone one way or another to get a better bang for my buck? IE, should I drop color to H or I to save a few hundred?

Last, as long as the stone has the right specs and I can see a decent 10X image online, should I just realize that I probably won''t be able to tell the difference anyway??????

This is my first major diamond purchase - I read GOG "cover to cover" and learned an incredible amount. I''m just hesitant to pull the trigger on something so expensive - this coming from the guy who research a manual can opener before buying (yes, I actually reviewed handheld can openers...SwingAway kicks ass!), so you can hopefully understand my panic.

Thanks for listening...I just need to hear a third parties opinion on this.

Wes

 

[chialea]

I have dealt with NiceIce myself, and have heard good things about them. WhiteFlash also comes highly reccomended by many people around here.

You can probably drop the colour without an issue since you're going for an ideal-cut stone, especially in that size. You can also probably drop the clarity down to SI-1 or SI-2 -- just ask if it's really eye-clean. It's a good way to get a good deal, and it doesn't look like you're interested in paying for something you can't see. I found that I couldn't see colour as well in smaller stones than in larger ones. Streamlined sounds like a really good idea -- I'm looking for one that won't get in my way as well!

Post a few stones you think might be promising, and people will be happy to take a look. Good luck

 

[glitterata]

Zoo keeper? Very cool! What sort of animals?

GOG and DCD have great reputations here on PS. I had a happy experience buying a small, well cut stone from DCD. As for other suggestions: I've often looked at the Whiteflash site with longing. I've also had good experiences with Wink Jones, who posts on this site, but I believe his website is currently under reconstruction.

If I were buying a smallish stone, I would definitely consider something in the SI range. Small SI1s and some SI2s have a good chance of being eye clean. (In fact, my little .29 ct from DCD is an I1 and it's eye clean to me--but then, I have terrible eyes.)

Thanks for the can opener recommendation.

 

[whoiswes]

Lea, you come through AGAIN!!!

You're right when you say I don't like paying for what I can't see - I want the best overall value for my money, plain and simple.

I'll throw a few links up for stones that I'm looking at...

DirtCheapDiamonds:
http://www.dirtcheapdiamonds.com/diamond_detail.cfm?did=6946072
http://www.dirtcheapdiamonds.com/diamond_detail.cfm?did=6946069 (Higher color and slightly worse cut, but almost $500 less! Definitely a possibility. EDIT AGAIN: I looked again, and I like it even more...)
http://www.dirtcheapdiamonds.com/diamond_detail.cfm?did=2664476 (Lower symmetry and polish, but will I even notice?)

GOG:
http://www.goodoldgold.com/0_661ct_g_vs2_h%26a.htm (This was the first diamond I really considered, but I think I can get something just as nice for much less - a beautiful rock, though)

NiceIce:
http://niceice.com/certcopies/ags0003954802/index.htm (just found this one quick for comparison - looks like a pretty nice stone, but I didn't check that closely)

WF:
didn't find any that were VS2...I suppose I could call and see if any SI1's are eye clean, but I'll wait on that if none of these work out.

So, what do you think? Am I off my gourd?