Help the new guy?

[Troll]

So I''m in the market for an engagement ring for my girlfriend. I''ve spent the last 3 or 4 days doing constant research, and as confident as I am, I''m sure alot of you here are far more knowledgable. I was hoping perhaps as I continue to search and shop around I could lean on you guys for your opinions. I''d also appreciate it if you were as honest and blunt as possible. Remember, i''m a guy so I need to be hit over the head with a direct answer or opinion. My g/f will agree.

Anyhow, she prefers a radiant cut diamond. I was hoping to get about 1.4 carats or so with a 10k budget for everything... but was hoping to keep it around 8k if I could.

This is not a diamond I''m considering, but something along those lines in terms of prices and specs. If I could get a 1.4 without sacrificing too much quality then that would be best.

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/F-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Radiant-Diamond-1138649.asp

Your thoughts?

Anyways, I''m from Toronto, Canada and seems our choices are somewhat limited up here. I have however spoke to Martin from US Cert. diamonds and he set me up to speak with victor at dundas square. I have an appointment with Corona''s this weekend. Would I be saving money if i were to buy from a US retailer such as Whiteflash, James Allen or BlueNile? If there are any GTA peeps out there that might be able to offer up some advice it would be greatly appreciated.

 

[nclrgirl]

I''m still fairly new to all of this too, but there are a LOT of very knowledgable people on here, so keep asking and keep reading! Good luck!

 

[Troll]

What are acceptable table and depth percentages I should be looking at?

Also, is there anything else I should be aware of?

How is this diamond?

http://www.whiteflash.com/radiant/Radiant-cut-diamond-672000.htm

 

[swingirl]

GOG has a few beautiful ones. If they are well cut you can certainly go down in color unless you are really stuck on an F.

If you like the square cut-corner look do check out the Princess of Hearts from GOG. They are gorgeous looking although they have a different pattern than the radiants.

 

[tickintime]

Date: 3/18/2008 6:33:38 PM
Author: Troll
What are acceptable table and depth percentages I should be looking at?


Also, is there anything else I should be aware of?


How is this diamond?


http://www.whiteflash.com/radiant/Radiant-cut-diamond-672000.htm

Hmm...EGL cert. And it is not in-house. Call some vendors and speak to them in person. Much more efficient this way.

 

[Lorelei]

Welcome Troll!

Radiants need to be seen to be judged, you can't go by the numbers to tell you the whole story. The radiant from JA looks good from the pic, as TT says, it is best to actually ask the vendors for advice with these shapes, and stick to diamonds which they actually own, rather than ones they have to call in where possible. Regarding the diamond from WF, you would indeed have to contact them for info.

Here is a chart with numbers you can use as a guideline - http://diamonds.pricescope.com/fnc2.asp but if you see a radiant you love where the numbers don't match the charts, remember how the diamond looks is what matters!

Also ASET images if available, are really useful for analysing radiants online.

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/why-we-prefer-aset-to-ideal-scope-with-fancy-shapes.73949/

 

[Troll]

So i found a diamond through US Certified Diamonds, but it's located in the US. I was told by Martin that they could bring it in, but returning it involves alot of work cause of customs and things of that nature. They can bring it over, but made it sound like if they do, then I'd pretty much have to buy it.

What he's recommended is having it sent to D-Atlas for them to analyze the diamond. If I like the diamond then they would cover the shipping charges. If not then I'd pay for it. Martin told me that D-Atlas is a quality outfit and should be trusted. He's recommended that this is performed cause the diamond comes with an EGL cert and their certificates MIGHT not be accurate. Mostly innacurrate when dealing with color... and sometimes clarity.

All in all I have to say that Martin seemed like an honest guy and laid everything out for me. Seems like the price of the diamond seems to good to be true.

Here are the specs, please share your thoughts.

Carat 1.50
Color F
Clarity VS2
Price $ 6392.85
Price per Carat $ 4261.90
Measurements 7 x 6.5 x 4.01 mm
Depth Percentage 61.7 %
Table Percentage 66 %
Girdle TN-MEDPOL
Polish VERY GOOD
Symmetry VERY GOOD
Fluorescence NONE


And thanks to all who have responded so far. I've got some reading to do!

 

[Lorelei]

Dave Atlas is a gentleman! He also posts here, and you can be completely confident with him doing your appraisal. You can trust his judgement. EGL graded diamonds can often carry a lower pricetag than GIA and AGS, so the appraisal will be useful and it sounds like you are on the right track!