Help needed! First time buyer

[mgong]

Hello all,

I am currently looking for a proposal ring. found this website 2 days ago which is the also same day I started looking for a ring

So I am very very new here. This website helps me a lot. I am now looking at WhiteFlash. Can your pro please give me some advice?

1. How is the diamond below, especially on clarity and cutting? It looks impressive to me and also the price seems at Pricescope average level
http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/whiteflash-aca-cut-diamond-2183247.htm#

2. It looks WhiteFlash is pretty good dealer. For shipping insurance, do you know how much it would cost and who will pay? I am based in Singapore

3. For the setting part, I saw some good review on Yuen tung (in Singapore). Should I worry whether it will damage the diamond? How is craftmanship in Yuen tung?

Much thanks,
M.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 3/5/2010 4:55:08 PM
Author:mgong
Hello all,

I am currently looking for a proposal ring. found this website 2 days ago which is the also same day I started looking for a ring

So I am very very new here. This website helps me a lot. I am now looking at WhiteFlash. Can your pro please give me some advice?

1. How is the diamond below, especially on clarity and cutting? It looks impressive to me and also the price seems at Pricescope average level
http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/whiteflash-aca-cut-diamond-2183247.htm#

2. It looks WhiteFlash is pretty good dealer. For shipping insurance, do you know how much it would cost and who will pay? I am based in Singapore

3. For the setting part, I saw some good review on Yuen tung (in Singapore). Should I worry whether it will damage the diamond? How is craftmanship in Yuen tung?

Much thanks,
M.

made link clickable

 

[Dreamer_D]

The cut on WF ACA diamonds are generally top knotch, and that one looks great too.

I think that WF pays shipping internationally, but you will need to confirm. I cannot imagine it is more than $50-$100 even if they charge you.

You know you can drop color and clarity and still have a killer white eye clean diamond, right?

 

[mgong]

Hi Dreamer, thats my doubt now. If as you said "Killer white eye-clean" diamond, how low can the color and clarity go?

Color - Can we go to F or G?
Clarity - If VS2 suffient? What the impact of pinpoint, cloud, crystal? I read somewhere the cloud and crystal is not good
Cut - my understanding is cut is most important among the 4C. Will the WhiteFalsh ACA more shining than Expert through nake eye?

Since this is my proposal ring, I want to give "biggest Blinking white eye-clean" diamond. My budget is us$ 5000-6000.

Appreciate your comments!

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 3/5/2010 11:04:21 PM
Author: mgong
Hi Dreamer, thats my doubt now. If as you said ''Killer white eye-clean'' diamond, how low can the color and clarity go?

Color - Can we go to F or G?
Clarity - If VS2 suffient? What the impact of pinpoint, cloud, crystal? I read somewhere the cloud and crystal is not good
Cut - my understanding is cut is most important among the 4C. Will the WhiteFalsh ACA more shining than Expert through nake eye?

Since this is my proposal ring, I want to give ''biggest Blinking white eye-clean'' diamond. My budget is us$ 5000-6000.

Appreciate your comments!

Well, there is white and then there is WHIIIIITE. Obviously, when you go down the color scale it won''t look like a D. I personally have a G color diamond and it has not one little hint of tint, it looks icy and has that crisp look that colorless diamonds have. But if it is next to a D color clearly it is somehow warmer. I think though you can go to F *for sure* and still have a super colorless stone. But you need to test your own tolerance for color. Can you find a place that sells GIA or AGS graded diamonds near you?

Clarity is a personal preference as well. Some people like knowing there is nothing in their diamonds, and they want to be able to look at their diamonds with a loupe and have it look very clean. Others simply do not want to see anything with their naked eye. Many on PS think that VS2 is the perfect clarity grade for maximizing budget and also ensuring that you will not see anything at all with your eyes. It is even hard to find anything with a loupe on most VS2 diamonds. But if you want to be super safe then perhaps VS1 is more your style. The type of inclusions doesn''t really matter so much, neither does the clarity plot. You need to buy from a vendor who has the diamond in front of them and can look at it and tell you whether or not it is eye clean to your standards (which may mean top, bottom, from the side from 3-4 inches

).

As for H&A versus non H&A. Honestly, you cannot tell the difference looking at a diamond with the preferred cut proportions that is an H&A and that is not an H&A. That label is about the precision of the cut and it suggests that the diamond was crafted with care and to the highest standards. If *knowing* that is not important to you, then you can do well to find a non H&A diamond.

So what are you priorities? I think you might not get over the 1ct mark if you want to stick with G/VS2 as a minimum.

Here are some possibilities:
http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/whiteflash-aca-cut-diamond-2231133.htm
http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/whiteflash-aca-cut-diamond-2231267.htm
http://www.whiteflash.com/round/round-cut-diamond-2245381.htm#
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamond/diamond-detail/?product_id=AGS-1040397620047
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/4726/

 

[mgong]

Hi Dreamer & All,

I will check the links later. In Singapore, the most shops are using GIA or no-grade diamond. Only few uses AGS certification. I did check out some shops today for viewing.

In your opnion, how important is DCA rating (HCA)? I saw a ring in Tiffany (just for viewing and comparison

). It is a H color and VS1 ring, however it is bright and also white. In fact, it feels whiter than some F color diamond I saw in some local shop. At first I thought it might be the shop lighting. After I check the HCA rating, it is 0.8. And the F-color diamond only score a 1.8 in HCA. Could it be the reason?

Have a nice day,
M.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 3/6/2010 12:55:26 PM
Author: mgong
Hi Dreamer & All,

I will check the links later. In Singapore, the most shops are using GIA or no-grade diamond. Only few uses AGS certification. I did check out some shops today for viewing.

In your opnion, how important is DCA rating (HCA)? I saw a ring in Tiffany (just for viewing and comparison

). It is a H color and VS1 ring, however it is bright and also white. In fact, it feels whiter than some F color diamond I saw in some local shop. At first I thought it might be the shop lighting. After I check the HCA rating, it is 0.8. And the F-color diamond only score a 1.8 in HCA. Could it be the reason?

Have a nice day,
M.

Hi mgong

The HCA scores are unrelated to colour, the aim of the HCA is to score below 2 then evaluate with images such as Idealscope to narrow the field. A lower HCA score isn''t better than a higher score.