Help!! Please...

[sll1031]

My boyfriend and I are looking for engagement rings and we are so overwhelmed with choosing a diamond. I have been reading this board for feedback and would love your knowledge and suggestions. I''m looking for the following:

- round
- carats: 1.8 to 2.2
- color: G to I
- VS2 to SI1 (want it to be very eye-clean)
- don''t want to spend more then approx. $17,000

I''ve done a pricescope search but I''m so overwhelmed with the choices. I don''t know what type of numbers (table, depth, etc.) to look for. I would like the diamond to look as big as possible for the size I''m buying.

What are good numbers for this type of diamond?

Some suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!!

 

[JulieN]

Color or carat?

16616 w/ PS discount http://www.jamesallen.com/diamond.asp?cid=131&item=858503
14859 w/ PS discount http://www.jamesallen.com/diamond.asp?cid=131&item=868690 a FIC, actually. They''re rare.

Will need checks for eye-cleanliness.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Here are a couple of AGS0 stones just under $17,000:

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/2368/

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/2366/

You want to stick with AGS0 graded stones or GIA excellent stones which also fall into the AGS0 numbers.

 

[belle]

you can significantly narrow your search by selecting ''in house'' or ''cut quality search''

best of luck!

 

[sll1031]

What type of numbers (measurements, depth, table, crown, pavillion) should I look for based on my specs above?

I just want to get the most for my $$$.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Date: 8/28/2006 10:37:49 PM
Author: belle
you can significantly narrow your search by selecting ''in house'' or ''cut quality search''

best of luck!

Yes, Belle is right. That is probably your problem with the search. You should check the AGS0 box and H&A box and click in-house, as Belle said. Those will be stones that the vendor has in his inventory and can answer questions and provide photos, etc. for you.

 

[JulieN]

You should look for numbers in the 1A-1B grades that, in combination, are under 2 on HCA http://diamonds.pricescope.com/round.asp However, there are many combinations, some unconventional, that make beautiful stones.

 

[:)]

Date: 8/28/2006 10:30:44 PM
Author: JulieN
Color or carat?

16616 w/ PS discount http://www.jamesallen.com/diamond.asp?cid=131&item=858503
14859 w/ PS discount http://www.jamesallen.com/diamond.asp?cid=131&item=868690 a FIC, actually. They''re rare.

Will need checks for eye-cleanliness.

Julie, how can you tell it is a FIC? Is there something specific you can tell just by looking at the numbers?

It gets a Holloway of 2.7 so maybe should not consider it. The other one gets a nice 1.2 on the Holloway.

 

[Regular Guy]

Date: 8/28/2006 10:42:33 PM
Author: JulieN
You should look for numbers in the 1A-1B grades that, in combination, are under 2 on HCA http://diamonds.pricescope.com/round.asp However, there are many combinations, some unconventional, that make beautiful stones.

Julie's a clever girl with a renaissance mind, mixing & matching systems for ideal.

I think she's accepted the default for the search by cut db, allowing not just 0 - 2, but also 0 - 4, and by accepting Very good along with excellent, in her 2 picks above, she adds in the one over 2 carats, nabbing options ranking 2 - 4 that also capture AGS0...and I'm guessing that's just FICish, since the crown angle is over 35.5 degrees. (edited to add...here's the reference for the crown angle constraint. The HCA chart won't show FIC unless it's also 0 - 2, but...especially applying the goodness attributed by the AGS0, I don't think it's a radical stretch).

This is a nice strategy, I think, at least for broadening options otherwise available. I might forget about 1A - B, but maybe not.

 

[JulieN]

I figure there's no one system that covers all the bases.

AGA doesn't consider combinations and is decidedly narrow. If you stick to 1A, though, and there are plenty of 1A stones, it's hard to go wrong.

HCA, you have to know how to use it, beyond the 0-2, like how up to 2.5 or even 3 can still be very nice stones, young rings-old rings-pendants/earrings, and BIC/TIC/FIC. Also the issue of some AGS 0 stones not scoring well on HCA (which also don't fall in the AGS box, so it's not really an HCA or AGS problem as long as you can roll with it.)

AGS doesn't allow stones I'd consider slightly shallow, but it's a consumer friendly system that only requires being able to count.

GIA's allowance of steep/deeps, but does allow for shallower stones in the EX grade than AGS, as well as BICs.

Those are all the usage warnings I can think of for now...

 

[:)]

Thank you Ira and Julie! Always learning, learning, learning still!!!