Help! Newbie shopping for engagement diamond!

[scotchtape400]

Hi guys,

Thank you for all the information on this website. I was hoping you guys can take a look at a few diamonds I have picked out and give me your honest opinions.

Let me first start by telling you what I am looking for!
I have met the love of my life in disneyworld! Such a fairy tale. I want to propose to her with a 2.5 ct round diamond set in this setting-

http://www.genesisdiamonds.net/a-jaffe-me1865q-engagement-ring.html

I was hoping to go for an excellent cut diamond at around 2.5 ct +/- 0.5ct. Obviously the better the diamond the better. I think I can go down to I for color and then as low as clarity as I can go without it being significant.

I have looked at these, can you guys take a look?

1) http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/2.50-carat-i-color-si2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-353404

This one has some twinning but I read that it is not that bad of an inclusion and shouldn't effect the visuals. Is that right?

2) http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/2.60-carat-j-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-467323

Don't know if going down to J will make this one too yellow.

Thanks,
Scotch

PS- I also put this one on hold but am now thinking that was a bad idea since it is hazy. Thoughts?
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/2.60-carat-i-color-si2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-382484

 

[scotchtape400]

Sorry guys. I forgot to mention my budget.

My budget is max 25k. I would love that to include the setting as well. Ideally I would want that to be lower if possible. The wedding is gonna cost an arm and a leg anyways.

Thank you so much,

Scotch

 

[SirGuy]

Hey Scotch, welcome aboard!

You seem to have good taste, and just as importantly have a good sense that education and careful selection matters!

I like to think of the four C's like sliders on a sound board: dial up and dial down. Each affects price and performance.

Everything is a compromise; the easiest thing to "dial down" for your price range is the weight (carat). Diamonds are just lumps of carbon. What makes them sparkle is a combination of cut (the most important thing), lack of inclusions, and lack of tint (color). A heavier/bigger stone that's not cut as well, or one that has inclusions that affect its light performance, is just more of less.

Whiteflash, Brian Gavin, and High Performance Diamonds (Wink Jones) have some great stuff. If you go a little smaller, you can dial up and get something really wonderful in your budget.

Weight goes up faster than size, especially with rounds. I'll give an example: a .33 carat round and a .66 carat round. The second is twice the weight. But their sizes are likely around 4.4 and 5.5 mm respectively. The one that is half the weight is 80% the spread. Something to keep in mind.

Here is a random one I found on Whiteflash: http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3225747.htm

Here is a decent J on HPD: http://highperformancediamonds.com/shop/diamonds/HPD7134/?shop=yes

If you're willing to go below 2 carats you can find some real sparklers in your price range. The 2.00 carat mark is a huge "magic number" where you're paying more just for that. Ditto with 2.5!

Hope that helps a little.

 

[danielxlin]

https://www.pricescope.com/tools/hca

Neither of these pass the HCA test. I'd go for something perfect in cut just slightly under 2.5 carats:

http://www.goodoldgold.com/ecommerce/2-4ct-i-si1-premium-round-ideal-cut-diamond.html

This 2.45 carat diamond actually faces up larger than the 2.5 carat you chose because it's cut less deep, and it has AGS Ideal light performance.