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Help with Engagement Ring

F

fallguy33

Rough_Rock
Joined
Feb 1, 2019
Messages
4
Hey All,

i need help picking out a center stone for a ring. I am looking for a round cut diamond. I already have the band to be custom made to the diamond, it's going to be a rounded cushion halo.

As far as center stone goes, i really like the H color. i am willing to use SI2 as long as it is eye clean without surface graining. I am looking to spend $8,000 or under on the center stone and get my best bang for buck. I am located in MA, I tried working with a few jewelers in my area and the diamonds they got to show me not been great. They also have been having me come in with only 2 stones to show me and the stones having terrible surface graining you can easily see with the naked eye. If anyone can help point me into the right direction it would be great.
 
as far as size, basically looking for best cut with best size i can get.

bigger being better
 
fallguy33 said:
as far as size, basically looking for best cut with best size i can get.

bigger being better
Click to expand...

Definitely look under Whiteflash for options under your budget. ACA is the best cut superideal possible, but their Expert Selection and Premium Select lines can offer great value options as well. Most of all, you get a phenomenal lifetime upgrade policy as well.
 
Here is the relative size difference on those 2 stones I posted on a size 6 finger.
Capture.PNG
 
Hi @fallguy33 -

Couple of questions:

Do you think you will ever upgrade?

Do you need a clean, white, ideal cut diamond, or does it need to be super-ideal?

Have you looked at ideal and super ideal diamonds and, if so, can you tell the difference?

WhiteFlash (which is who I bought my main diamond from, so full disclosure here!) has stunning, beautiful, well vetted diamonds. I would recommend them to anyone who wanted a super ideal cut diamond.

However, if you aren't looking for super ideal, but still want excellent cut stats, and a very clean, white, sparkly diamond, I'd recommend James Allen or Blue Nile. WF is a sure thing. You could buy virtually anything on their A Cut Above page and it will be stunning. But you do pay extra for the excellent (and I do mean excellent!) customer service, for the branded cut, and for their incredibly generous upgrade policy.

If you don't see yourself upgrading at any point in the future, and if you're one of those (many, many) people who can't tell the difference between an ideal and a super-ideal cut diamond, my personal opinion is that you'd be better off buying with Blue Nile or James Allen - both with whom I've done business many times.

I've had 6 diamonds from White Flash - all stunning. But I've also had dozens of diamonds from Blue Nile, and a bunch from James Allen also, and they've been uniformly fabulous. If you want to go through a company like JA or BN, it pays to either really know what you're looking for, or have people to help you out to point you in the right direction. If that's what you prefer, you've come to the right place!

By the way, I live in MA, just outside of Boston, and there's nobody with a large, reliable inventory of ideal cut diamonds to whom I could refer you. Others may know of someone, but my mind draws a blank.

So. Do you have an idea which way you'd like to go with this? Would you like diamonds from all comers? Say the word! And remember - this should be fun! So - enjoy! :wavey:
 
mrs-b said:
Hi @fallguy33 -

Couple of questions:

Do you think you will ever upgrade?

Do you need a clean, white, ideal cut diamond, or does it need to be super-ideal?

Have you looked at ideal and super ideal diamonds and, if so, can you tell the difference?

WhiteFlash (which is who I bought my main diamond from, so full disclosure here!) has stunning, beautiful, well vetted diamonds. I would recommend them to anyone who wanted a super ideal cut diamond.

However, if you aren't looking for super ideal, but still want excellent cut stats, and a very clean, white, sparkly diamond, I'd recommend James Allen or Blue Nile. WF is a sure thing. You could buy virtually anything on their A Cut Above page and it will be stunning. But you do pay extra for the excellent (and I do mean excellent!) customer service, for the branded cut, and for their incredibly generous upgrade policy.

If you don't see yourself upgrading at any point in the future, and if you're one of those (many, many) people who can't tell the difference between an ideal and a super-ideal cut diamond, my personal opinion is that you'd be better off buying with Blue Nile or James Allen - both with whom I've done business many times.

I've had 6 diamonds from White Flash - all stunning. But I've also had dozens of diamonds from Blue Nile, and a bunch from James Allen also, and they've been uniformly fabulous. If you want to go through a company like JA or BN, it pays to either really know what you're looking for, or have people to help you out to point you in the right direction. If that's what you prefer, you've come to the right place!

By the way, I live in MA, just outside of Boston, and there's nobody with a large, reliable inventory of ideal cut diamonds to whom I could refer you. Others may know of someone, but my mind draws a blank.

So. Do you have an idea which way you'd like to go with this? Would you like diamonds from all comers? Say the word! And remember - this should be fun! So - enjoy! :wavey:
Click to expand...


i would love to see diamonds from all comers.

i am mainly looking for an eye clean diamond with an ideal cut. I would love the diamond to be white, i noticed H so far and some I's are my best tolerance. I have seen J's but when i see them in the halo under certain lighting i can really see the yellow, those could have also been very poor Js. I have personally only ever seen ideal and very good cuts in person and to be honest i can't tell much difference there.

I think at one point in life maybe a potential of an upgrade, but than likely it might just be her switching band styles over the years and keeping same diamond at most.

So far the only jeweler i found with eye clean diamonds was in RI at providence diamond, but their prices are really high compared to others.

i honestly, don't know what i am looking at when i am looking at the photos on whiteflash. So new to this.

would love to find something around 1.3-1.4 in that price range if possible. Can probably up the budge to 9k if needed.
 
mrs-b said:
if you're one of those (many, many) people who can't tell the difference between an ideal and a super-ideal cut diamond, my personal opinion is that you'd be better off buying with Blue Nile or James Allen - both with whom I've done business many times.
Click to expand...

BTW, this is only true for pro shoppers like @mrs-b because you really have to know what you're looking for to find the diamonds with proper proportions and optical symmetry to have a chance at passing for a super-ideal. I'm noticing better decent cuts getting available as of recent as India and China are catching up with precision cuts with the aid of software, but there are still many duds out there.
 
This one is with James Allen. I suspect it's eye clean. It's beautifully cut - and is eeeever so slightly more spready than the one you linked to from BN. That one was cut way too deep, which was costing it diameter and would make it look smaller.
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...h-color-si2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-5923456

If you don't mind going a tiny bit smaller - this one is killer. The GIA report says it has surface graining not shown on the report, but I will bet you London to a brick it's easily eye clean. Always easy to find out tho; call JA and ask - they *will* tell you:
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-di...f-color-si2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-5935937

Personally, tho, I'd go with an I color and take a look at this; no clouds mentioned, no surface graining. An I SI1...at 1.52 ct. Lovely stats - an HCA of 1.3 - perfect for a ring - and just an all around lovely stone. https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-de...DiamondDetails&action=newTab&catalogView=true

Re I colors - a well cut I colored stone should show very little color face up - and this is true for ideal cut diamonds even lower on the color scale - as the light return masks all else. Tint is normally seen sideways, but an I colored stone of this size should show very little tint, and in a halo, the side will be hidden. I've had a number of I colored stones, and a GIA I is normally pretty reliable. It's also where the best deals are to be had. In my opinion, you're likely to get a much better diamond going to an I color, than dropping to an SI2.

These were the best I could find; I hope they're of some help.
 
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blueMA said:
BTW, this is only true for pro shoppers like @mrs-b because you really have to know what you're looking for to find the diamonds with proper proportions and optical symmetry to have a chance at passing for a super-ideal. I'm noticing better decent cuts getting available as of recent as India and China are catching up with precision cuts with the aid of software, but there are still many duds out there.
Click to expand...

Totally agree with this - you need to know what you're doing to wade into the depths of online diamond shopping!

But that's ok, @fallguy33 - we'll hold your hand, and the folks here can navigate the waves pretty well!

Let me know what you think of the diamonds I posted - I suspect that 1.52 I would be pretty well received!
 
lovedogs said:
NO. Definitely no. It's way too deep.

@mrs-b I don't see any link to the I colored stone you mentioned above.
Click to expand...

Lol - yes - I noticed it didn't stick! Sorry! It's there now tho. (way to make a good impression, right? d'oh!)
 
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mrs-b said:
Lol - yes - I noticed it hadn't taken! It's there now tho. (way to make a good impression, right? d'oh!)
Click to expand...
That's a lovely stone! I think OP would be really happy with it.
 
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