Help requested for Engagement Ring

[braindrained]

Good evening everyone,
I've been a long time lurker, but have finally started my search in earnest for an engagement ring for my hopefully soon to be fiancee. I was wondering if I could enlist everyone's help in evaluating these idealscope images for some stones I think might fit the bill.

This diamond is a 1.76 carat G-VS1 True Hearts Diamond from James Allen.
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...color-vs1-clarity-true-hearts-cut-sku-3208456
Table: 55.9%
Depth: 61.8%
Crown Angle: 34.5
Pavilion Angle: 40.7

*This stone in my eyes doesn't appear to be a true hearts and arrows as it looks like the points on the hearts are a little inconsistent, but I could be overthinking it?*



The diamond below is a 1.75 carat H-VVS1
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...-color-vvs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-5036298
Table: 57%
Depth: 61.7%
Crown Angle: 35
Pavilion Angle: 40.8

*Is the color gradations on the arrows on this one a result of the internal reflections or light bleeding?*



I was perusing this 1.8 carat H-VVS2 from Blue Nile, but for some reason I just don't feel as confident on this one.
https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD00043334

I feel like the top idealscope image is better than the bottom, but is it worth the premium for a True Hearts? I think I have been staring at so many images that everything appears to be flawed somehow at this point . Your input would be greatly appreciated!

 

[foxinsox]

I have to say, were it me spending $20k, I'd go Whiteflash or one of the other superideal vendors. Partly because if you're looking at True Hearts, you likely prize cut highly and the super ideals are all about cut, and partly because the upgrade policy, should you ever want to go that way, is super. I really like that they do all of the analysis paralysis stuff for you and you know you're looking at an even paying field when you choose from their diamonds.
I looked on their site, D-G, $20K or under, ACA, ES, PS, In House as parameters and found 14 diamonds to choose from which are all under $20k and the same size or bigger than what you're looking at from James Allen.

 

[rockysalamander]

Good evening everyone,
!

I'm with @foxinsox. I find that WF is usually competitive with the TrueHearts line and has the advantage of a better tradeup policy, true H&H and excellent customer service. It would be no doubt in my mind to look at two below.

https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3988019.htm
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3622373.htm

 

[Dancing Fire]

I'm with @foxinsox. I find that WF is usually competitive with the TrueHearts line and has the advantage of a better tradeup policy, true H&H and excellent customer service. It would be no doubt in my mind to look at two below.

https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3988019.htm
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3622373.htm

I'd pass on #2 ... ACA? . the hearts does not match in size.

 

[Matthews1127]

I'd pass on #2 ... ACA? . the hearts does not match in size.

Holy Crap!! I see that, too!!

 

[rockysalamander]

Holy Crap!! I see that, too!!

Now I can't unsee it. I guess searching at 3:30 am, I was not at my best.

Maybe @Texas Leaguer can check and see if its a bad photo or if we are really seeing what we are seeing.
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3622373.htm

 

[Matthews1127]

Now I can't unsee it. I guess searching at 3:30 am, I was not at my best.

Maybe @Texas Leaguer can check and see if its a bad photo or if we are really seeing what we are seeing.
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3622373.htm

I was wondering if it was just a tilt issue, but it would be helpful to have the expert evaluate it!

 

[sledge]

Agree w/ the others. For this amount of money, I would want a super ideal. Here are a few more options:

https://www.briangavindiamonds.com/...ls/1.748-g-vs1-round-diamond-ags-104078700002
https://www.briangavindiamonds.com/...ls/1.732-g-si1-round-diamond-ags-104065663001

 

[braindrained]

Good afternoon,
I wasn't expecting so many responses so quickly! Thank you for all of your suggestions. I will slowly work my way through your suggestions when I return from work!

 

[949r6]

I was recently in the same situation and for the superideal cuts, it was piece of mind going with WF or BG. They inspect each diamond and they have it on hand in inventory (vs a bluenile).

While they might charge a premium I found the prices reasonable. BG gave me an extra discount after asking. WF didn't budge.

 

[doc3]

I was recently in the same situation and for the superideal cuts, it was piece of mind going with WF or BG. They inspect each diamond and they have it on hand in inventory (vs a bluenile).

While they might charge a premium I found the prices reasonable. BG gave me an extra discount after asking. WF didn't budge.

Exact same experience for me. Once I had done my research, I had far greater peace of mind buying from a reputable super-ideal distributor.

 

[blueMA]

I was wondering if it was just a tilt issue, but it would be helpful to have the expert evaluate it!

No tilt there. Uneven Lgf issue, surprised it made ACA.

 

[blueMA]

Btw, I like what I see with the JA TH stone, and yes it's worth a premium over the other stones.

 

[braindrained]

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone, I really appreciate it! Does this 1.908 stone from WF https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3988020.htm also exhibit the same uneven hearts that https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3622373.htm Dancing Fire spotted in an earlier post? Or am I just looking a little too far into it?

I'm currently looking at these 3 currently. I think I would like to stay at VS1 or higher currently.
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3988020.htm
https://www.briangavindiamonds.com/...ls/1.748-g-vs1-round-diamond-ags-104078700002
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...color-vs1-clarity-true-hearts-cut-sku-3208456

 

[ac117]

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone, I really appreciate it! Does this 1.908 stone from WF https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3988020.htm also exhibit the same uneven hearts that https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3622373.htm Dancing Fire spotted in an earlier post? Or am I just looking a little too far into it?

I'm currently looking at these 3 currently. I think I would like to stay at VS1 or higher currently.
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3988020.htm
https://www.briangavindiamonds.com/...ls/1.748-g-vs1-round-diamond-ags-104078700002
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...color-vs1-clarity-true-hearts-cut-sku-3208456

All gorgeous - will upgrading ever be a possibility in the future? If so, I'd go with either the WF or BGD stone. Otherwise, I'd go with the WF stone bc 1.9 carats is such a sweet spot for a 2 carat look without the 2 ct price jump and H is still very white and VS1 meets your requirements!

 

[blueMA]

As far as the cuts/angles alone, I'm leaning towards either the JA or the WF stone of these choices.

Size difference (change the monitor size)
https://www.diamdb.com/compare/1ct-round-7.91x7.93x4.9-vs-1ct-round-7.73x7.77x4.78/

 

[braindrained]

Good evening everybody,
I'm down to the final two choices. It appears that the 1.826 is a little clearer than the 1.908? Are crystal inclusions more detrimental to clarity than the clouds?

1.908 H VS1 ACA
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3988020.htm

1.826 G VS2 ACA
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-3988019.htm

 

[sledge]

Very tough choice.

Essentially identical stones when comparing CA & PA. This is being super nit picky, but the H stone has 77 lower girdle which is an optimum value for H&A. The G stone has 76, which falls outside optimum but still within H&A criteria. FYI, girdle lengths affect the heart portion, or bottom half of the diamond. Based on this, I prefer the H stone.

**edited by moderator, no links to affiliate sites per the policies**

In regards to the clarity of the stone, both are great. I think at VS1 and VS2, we are nit picking and to the naked eye neither a problem. I do like the fact the one crystal the H has is under the facets instead of the table, so for that reason I'd prefer the H stone. That said, read this:

**edited by moderator, no links to affiliate sites per the policies**

Now we get to color. How sensitive are you or your girl to color? Both would be hard to discern from one another (for most people) unless you had something to compare each other to. While I think both are great choices, most people prefer more white so I'd have to give a small tick to the G stone.

Size. Ugh. Nearly identical. Dimensions are only off by 0.10mm each. I did some math for someone else the other day for a little more and they were at 1/196th of an inch difference. This is a non-factor IMO as you can't see it with the naked eye. Carat weight sounds slightly more impressive with the larger 1.91ct stone. I'd call this a tie for me, but some would say the H wins.

I've looked at the videos as well. Tough call, as both are gorgeous. I personally like the H, but would take the G as well.

The above said, with all the nit picking, I had more wins for the H so that is what I would choose. However, I think it's one of those deals where the H is my 10 and the G is my 9.999.

 

[TreeScientist]

To be honest, the cut is just about as identical as they come. Given that the lower halves are averages, you're never going to be able to see the difference between 76 and 77 in person. The ASET, H&A, and IS images are pretty much mirror images of each other.

Here's my advice: ask WF to pull both and have them give you an honest opinion on the color. Once you get into the near colorless range, the brackets start to get a little larger, meaning that a diamond near the higher end of a color bracket could actually be fairly different from one on the lower end.

If these two that you are chose are a low G (meaning closer to H) vs a high H (closer to G) then the difference may hardly be noticeable. In this scenario, I would probably go with the larger H.

However, if this is a high G (closer to F) vs a low H (closer to I) then the color difference may be quite pronounced. In this case, I would go for the G.

So ask WF how different the color is between these two stones, and make your decision accordingly.

 

[blueMA]

Extremely similar stones - by the cuts alone you won't be able to differentiate them side by side. The size difference is also minimal and will look virtually the same.

However, I'd personally choose the G stone if the color difference can be seen at the side angle by the Whiteflash staff - and it's probably the only real difference that can be seen by the naked eye. The stone only has a crystal for inclusion - which tells me that it has a better chance at being more purer and transparent at microscopic level than one with a grade setting cloud, but it could be a non-factor for the ACA stones.

 

[braindrained]

After waffling on the decision for so long, I pulled the trigger and placed an order with Brittany at Whiteflash! I'm excited, but pensive and filled with apprehension all at the same time. Thank you so much for the all help everyone! I couldn't have done it without yall. Pictures to come soon hopefully

 

[TreeScientist]

Excellent! Which diamond did you end up going with?

 

[braindrained]

I ended up going with the 1.908ct H VS1! I followed your advice to ask for an opinion on the color difference between the two and they said there was a very slight difference between the two. I figured that we can always upgrade to a higher color stone down the line with the generous upgrade policy!

 

[ac117]

Excellent!!! This is going to be stunning!

 

[TreeScientist]

Great choice! If there's just a slight difference in color, then the 1.90 sounds like the better deal.

 

[sledge]

Congrats! Glad to see you get past this hurdle, and even more excited to see some pictures. I think you will be stoked once you get it.

 

[braindrained]

I hope so! That's only one small part of the nervousness. The other is if she will say yes!

 

[sledge]

I hope so! That's only one small part of the nervousness. The other is if she will say yes!

I think you are getting in your own head. My guess is you guys have probably talked about getting married at some level prior to now, and if you think hard you probably know she wants to and will ultimately say yes. Don't freak yourself out. Roll w/ confidence.

The silver lining....that rock is big enough that another girl might slap her in the head and call her silly and say yes to you.

Years ago I had a Corvette with hand cuffs hanging over the rear view mirror (ugh, don't ask). Top was down and my girl (at the time, not now) was riding with me....we were in an argument so she was all huffy & puffy. We pulled up to a stop light and two incredibly attractive girls roll up in a Jeep with doors off & top down (the Jeep ). Anyhow, the girls look over and start asking what the cuffs were for and if I wouldn't mind to show them what it felt like to be handled.

I looked at my girl and smiled, and told her maybe she should not be huffy & puffy because my silver lining was literally staring me in the face. She didn't quite find the humor in my comment but she did get over herself pretty quickly.

 

[ringo865]

Lol sledge you dog, you. Do you still have the vette?

 

[sledge]

Lol sledge you dog, you. Do you still have the vette?

LOL, no the vette is long gone. Had a few other hot rods and Jeeps (real ones without tops and doors haha) since then with funny stories that are totally inappropriate for this board. Combine my personality with my fearlessness and adrenaline rushes with my unwise youth and it makes for interesting times.