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Help with Diamond for Engagement Ring

@farrahlyn - This was such a helpful message - thank you, truly. I should definitely start by saying that the plot makes it look like it would appear that way, but I assure you the inclusions were very difficult to find (and impossible without magnification). However, the 4.9 HCA score definitely suggests this should've been an instant reject. Very fortunately, the guy I went through was more than happy to "release" me from that stone, and I'm going to visit him again later this week, armed with all of this information and the help from this website/forum.

Thank you so much for also providing me with stones within my budget. That was super helpful, and tells me that I can do about 1.70 carats - not 1.80 (I was fooling myself and sacrificing way too much in brilliance to go "bigger" - though the depth % really meant it wasn't much if at all bigger anyway - I get that).

Really pleased by your response and will be returning to this thread with an update on stones (or the stone I change to) as soon as I re-visit this guy. I did look up the GIA # on Google and it actually came up on adiamor.com for $13,761 ($13,555 bank wire price), so doesn't that mean this guy does sell to a large network of retailers, making him a wholesaler? @island21 I'm really not convinced I overpaid by $2k, but again I suppose I don't have the diamond (or a magnified pic of it) to show you characteristics that might have made the price I was charged more reasonable. Nevertheless, I appreciate your message also and found the information helpful as well.

I'll be utilizing the HCA tool when I go back to help weed out diamonds, and will return with additional information ASAP :)

So glad i could help! I think it helps to put it in "guy" terms and comparing to buying a truck usually gets the point across. :lol: You'd think buying a diamond would be easy because they're supposed to be sparkly and beautiful but there are SO many variances when you look at cut. I think sticking to the 1.7ct size is a smart choice, you will get a really great cut and really a very nice size stone, 1.7 is a nice size rock! Again, an H color is pretty safe.. but if you drop to an "I" colored stone, you'll get a bigger stone and with a great cut, you're not going to see yellow looking at the top of the stone. But you may see be tint from the side and some don't care to see that. So that is a bit dependent on setting and how visible the side of the stone is. (my stone is an H and i don't see any tint from the side)

MANY stones are "virtual" and several different retailers can offer the same stone on their site. I've seen on here, someone find a stone they like on JA and call ID Jewelry and have him bring in the stone and set it. Speaking of setting, what kind of setting are you considering? Cause just like diamonds, there is a huge variance in quality! :))
 
Yes. We do need to discuss settings before you commit to a stone. Who is doing the setting?
 
OP
I understand your dilemma. We have a habit on this forum......we want you to get the best diamond for your money(best bang for the buck).
Good luck in whatever direction you go.
 
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