Help on diamond selection...

[bjbradleyUSC]

Alright two quick questions... And first thanks for your help.. I am very new at this jewelry thing, I am only 23 and new to the world of diamonds. I have done my fair share of research but just wanted to ask a few questions..

Diamond range in the 1 carat range and Eye Clean... at least SI 1 and anything above, Princess Cut with white gold

First off, Color. How low can i go? I''ve went around(in the mall) and checked out the different colors at least in the near colorless spectrum. Personally I can''t tell the difference between G, H, or I. I haven''t seen a J color in person or at least I didn''t see the certs with it. How big a difference is there between I and J. Mainly looking for something that doesn''t look yellow to the eye. Which I did see some place where princess can show more color and since its a white gold band it could show the color more.

Second off, Retailers. I have checked out online every site that I have been referred to. I have checked out the good old gold and whiteflash, but it seems through my searches that their availability of princess cuts seems to be lacking. Maybe I don''t know what to be looking for but I didn''t see any near the lower price ranges. It seems that Blue Nile has better prices and quality... Too me. But it seems people on here don''t seem to like blue nile as much?

I am open to any suggestions... Like I said above looking >SI 1, around or >1 carat, Princess, and I guess either J or I in color. 3500-4200 dollar price range.


Thanks for your help like I said I am just trying to do as much research as i can, I''ll be going to a local dealer this week that my friend knows. Maybe he can get me a discount at it.

 

[Regular Guy]

How about this one?

With most anyone besides GOG, WF, Infinity, and the few vendors who provide reflector evidence of performance, you''ll read here we don''t think you can tell very well about performance without it, for princesses.

Why do you think BN is superior? I think you said that, didn''t you?

Regards,

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 10/5/2008 7:19:02 PM
Author: Regular Guy
How about this one?

With most anyone besides GOG, WF, Infinity, and the few vendors who provide reflector evidence of performance, you''ll read here we don''t think you can tell very well about performance without it, for princesses.

Why do you think BN is superior? I think you said that, didn''t you?

Regards,

Ditto Ira - cut is the key component which gives a diamond its beauty. The vendors Ira mentions sell superbly cut Princess with all the info you need to make an informed choice - pics and other images such as ASET are essential when buying a fancy shape diamond such as a Princess, and BN do not provide these to the best of my knowledge. Without them you have no way of knowing how attractive and sparkly your diamond will be unfortunately if you '' buy blind'' without at least pics of the diamond.

 

[Darthkim]

Hi bjbradleyUSC,

Welcome to Pricescope!

If you happen to be in southern california, try visiting a Ben Bridge jeweler. Not necessarily to purchase, but they have AGS graded stones and compared to the rest of the mall jewelers (kay''s, whitehall, robbins brothers), they have much better stones. (perhaps not as nice as WF or GOG, but better than most mall stores). Having a GIA or AGS graded stone means that you are more likely to have a correctly graded stone. Most of the other mall jewelers tend to sell stones from EGL, IGI, or even smaller labs and generally their grades are much looser than GIA or AGS.

A G color from IGI may really be an I color from AGS/GIA.

Adding on to what Ira and Lorelei stated, here on pricescope, we tend to prefer the better cut stones for their performance. Often referred to as an Ideal cut.

Unfortunately, without some of the images provided by GOG and whiteflash, it is difficult to gauge how well a diamond will perform. Those images by GOG and Whiteflash provide proof of the light performance of a diamond. A good way to narrow down the field is by looking for AGS 0 or GIA excellent cuts.

Keep posting all the questions you may have. Pricescope has a very friendly userbase with lots of experience and expertise... all who are willing to help.

Good luck!

 

[stone-cold11]

One other point to add. If you are really new to this and decide to shop without someone experience to guide you, be it B&M or online, go with AGS0 cut graded princess. That will be the easiest way to ensure that you will get a great stone.

 

[Lorelei]

Also you asked how much difference there is between I and J colour - well the answer can vary to that one. Fancy shapes can show more colour than well cut rounds, so I would advise seeing some Princess in this colour grade to make sure of your preferences. Try to compare similar cut ( suggest AGS0 cut grade) as a baseline, similar size, shape etc to get a proper comparison. Jareds sell AGS0 Princess if there is a store near you so you can compare. A well cut reliably graded Princess of these colour grades can still look plenty white to some, but it would be best if you could take a look in person.