Help! with my search....

[idealnoob]

So, ive been lurking on this site for a couple of months and im even more lost in my search for "the one".

Search: My wife's first diamond....a solitaire round with a budget around 10k. Plan is to steal my wife's ring and place the solitaire.

Background: My wife and I have been married for 10 yrs. She finally told me she wants an upgrade. We got married when I was 20 and she was 19. Our rings were plain 14k white gold bands with engravings on the inside of the date we were married and a cheesy note. All her friends are professionals and have massive rings, halo's, double halo's, pave's with the smallest center 1.75ct. she always said "I dont need to compete with my friends" and "I'll love anything you get me".....Im calling BS on this!

Dilemma: As my knowledge grew of buying diamonds, info gets skewed. Listening to her friends and others. Finding out what they paid for and what the stats are for the rings. Finding PS and doing research myself. Its hard to sift for the truth and a trustworthy vendor.

Please respond with anything thats on your mind as I take everything in as constructive criticism.

I have been mesmerized by Ideal cuts and think this is the only cut I will accept. With this being my first diamond is it essential?

Size does matter and the first thing you notice but will she really stare hard enough to see the imperfections?

What dealers have this Eye clean certificate Ive heard about?

Is an H to G to F color noticeable? Is it objective as in clarity of a VS2 to SI1?

Which online dealers provide the best actual diamond info?

Can you find local dealers with prime diamonds thats are as competitively priced as online dealers?

I guess what I need right now is a reality check to curb my expections on how big and how nice a diamond I have budgeted for....thanks in advance for your help.

 

[JulieN]

around 1.3 cts for 8000, plus a nice plat solitaire, is what I would shoot for.

 

[SMC]

So, ive been lurking on this site for a couple of months and im even more lost in my search for "the one".

Search: My wife's first diamond....a solitaire round with a budget around 10k. Plan is to steal my wife's ring and place the solitaire.

Background: My wife and I have been married for 10 yrs. She finally told me she wants an upgrade. We got married when I was 20 and she was 19. Our rings were plain 14k white gold bands with engravings on the inside of the date we were married and a cheesy note. All her friends are professionals and have massive rings, halo's, double halo's, pave's with the smallest center 1.75ct. she always said "I dont need to compete with my friends" and "I'll love anything you get me".....Im calling BS on this!

Dilemma: As my knowledge grew of buying diamonds, info gets skewed. Listening to her friends and others. Finding out what they paid for and what the stats are for the rings. Finding PS and doing research myself. Its hard to sift for the truth and a trustworthy vendor.

Please respond with anything thats on your mind as I take everything in as constructive criticism.

I have been mesmerized by Ideal cuts and think this is the only cut I will accept. With this being my first diamond is it essential? Yes

Size does matter and the first thing you notice but will she really stare hard enough to see the imperfections? You know her better than anyone else on this forum. Do you think she is very detail oriented?

What dealers have this Eye clean certificate Ive heard about? Whiteflash does. Almost any vendor will tell you whether or not the stone is eye clean if you ask them - just call. James Allen will allow you to put 3 stones on hold, get Idealscopes on them, and the gemoloist will also tell you his/her ranking on your 3 stones and whether or not they are eye clean

Is an H to G to F color noticeable? Is it objective as in clarity of a VS2 to SI1? Color sensitivity varies from person to person. I think in general, 1 color grade up or down isn't noticeable. You may be able to tell the difference between a F and a H. I think that, in general, it is safe to go down to an I diamond. I is also the lowest color Tiffany sells. With clarity, I think of it as more binary - either you can see the inclusions or you can't. I think that you can find an eye clean SI1 without much difficulty. The color you choose is also dependent on the metal of your setting. If you are setting in platinum or white gold, I wouldn't go down lower than a J. Blue fluorescence will also help whiten the color of a diamond (only in the presence of UV light).

Which online dealers provide the best actual diamond info? Any of the recommended PS vendors provide lots of info. Start with James Allen, Brian Gavin, Whiteflash, Good Old Gold, and ID Jewelry. I've also heard B2C provides lower prices, but I've never dealt with them personally and they don't offer as much info upfront as the other vendors. Any vendor that can get you an Idealscope to judge light performance is good

Can you find local dealers with prime diamonds thats are as competitively priced as online dealers? Doubtful, unless you live in NYC. For me, online is the best way to shop as I feel like I can compare prices more easily.

I guess what I need right now is a reality check to curb my expections on how big and how nice a diamond I have budgeted for....thanks in advance for your help.

I think you should take a look at all the PS vendors mentioned above and see what you can get for you money. Look for either AGS000 diamonds or GIA XXX diamonds that have scored less than 2.0 on the HCA calculator (https://www.pricescope.com/tools/hca). If the diamond has an HCA score < 2.0, then get an Idealscope image and post it here for others to evaluate. Don't use the HCA for AGS000 diamonds because AGS000 diamonds are already cut for ideal light performance.

These are guidelines that I have used in regards to what to look for in a round brilliant. I've gotten grumbles that these parameters are too strict and not everyone has the same preferences so take these with a grain of salt:

(from http://niceice.com/brian-gavin-select-vs-signature-diamonds/)
Total depth between 59 – 61.8% and maybe up to 62%
Table diameter between 53 – 58%
Crown angle between 34.0 – 35.0 degrees and I truly prefer 34.3 – 34.9 degrees
Pavilion angle between 40.5 – 41.0 degrees and I truly prefer 40.6 – 40.9 degrees

And here are slightly looser guidelines that I've made note of from another PS'er, diamondseeker2006:
table: 54-58
depth: 60-62.3
crown angle: 34-35.0
pavilion angle: 40.6-41.0

Also, buying preloved can also save you some money. You can look at rings for sale on diamondbistro.com, loupetroop.com, or jewelsbyericagrace.com. I don't know how open you are to that though.

 

[idealnoob]

around 1.3 cts for 8000".

From what I've been looking for...ideal cut...g-h color...clarity isn't a big deal as long as the diamond is eye clean. I can't get near 1.3 cts for 10k nonetheless 8k ....

 

[bunnycat]

Hello there!

Sortmon pretty much has you covered, but I would add one caution. When you are looking through JA inventory and you find one you like that scores under 2, I would put it on hold then post it here. The reason is JA only gives you 3 IS images and gemologist reviews and once you use those up you don't get anymore so I'd hate to see you waste it.

I'd recommend just cutting to the chase since you are already thinking about ideal cuts. Even if you don't get something as large as what her acquaintances have, getting a ideal/superideal cut you're more likely than not going to be getting her something that BETTER than what they have quality wise. My suggestion is to look at either Hearts and Arrows stones from the vendors here that do the super ideals like Whiteflash ACA, Brian Gavin, Good Old Gold and James Allen. If you decide you want a precision cut stone, but don't need H/A symmetry, the Brian Gavin Blue line can save you some cash and get you a bit bigger bang for your buck with plenty of performance info already handy.

You can find nicely cut stones on JA that aren't H/A but it's going to take a bit of sifting through inventory.

JA H/A cut:. You also can get a small PS discount if you call them and tell them you are on PS:
http://www.jamesallen.com/#!/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.22-carat-h-color-si1-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-73678

BGD Blue stone, even though it's an I, the fluorescence will help it face up whiter in situations where UV light is present (sunshine, fluorescent/CFL lighting, blacklights....) and the cutting beautiful:

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/1.211-i-vs1-round-diamond-ags-bl-104063639012

 

[Christina...]

I like both of these but they are a bit lower in color than you are considering. Many here wouldn't recommend going this low in color if your budget doesn't require it, but they are lovely stones!


http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/1.337-j-vs2-round-diamond-ags-104063650009#!prettyPhoto[gallery2]/1/

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/1.317-j-vs1-round-diamond-ags-104063529005#!prettyPhoto[gallery2]/1/


ACA is always a beautiful choice as well

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2805423.htm

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2890100.htm

 

[Mayk]

I saw that 1.337 J and thought.... Oh that would be a nice one.... Nice find Christina!

 

[JulieN]

Around 8000 is an I SI1 kind of price http://www.jamesallen.com/#!/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.32-carat-i-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-194876

http://www.jamesallen.com/#!/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.30-carat-i-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-206414

 

[idealnoob]

WOW! This is exactly what I needed to get remotivated in my search!!!
I really like BGD and the info they provide customers.