How am I doing?

[Vento95]

First, I want to say how thankful I am to have found this site. I''ve been lurking for some time now and I think I am about ready to buy an E ring. If anyone on here would like to give me some pointers I might be missing, it would much appreciated.

I''m on a modest budget, absolute max I can spend on just the diamond would be $1500. My girlfriend couldn''t really care less about the quality/size so it''s all pretty much for my peace of mind. So...I''m thinking right around .5 carat round, G-I color, VS2-SI2 and obviously with a really great cut. So far I''m thinking these:

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/3877/
http://www.whiteflash.com/round_ideal_cut/Round-Ideal-Cut-cut-diamond-540927.htm#
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/3785/

Am I heading the right direction? Any other suggestions?

 

[Italiahaircolor]

Congratulations on your upcoming purchase! This is a very exciting time!!

I looked at all three of your links...and I personally like number 2 the best. I think you''re getting the most bang for your buck considering that all of stones are relatively within the same price range.

I wouldn''t consider number 3 very seriously. When you step outside of the VS-whatever range, you''re opening yourself up to seeing the inclusions. For a bit more money compared to number 3, you''re staying in the VS range. And if you''re just doing it for piece of mind, then I would suggest 1 or 2.

Happy hunting, and I wish you continued success as you try to find the perfect engagement diamond! Be sure to share your final decision and pictures!

 

[Italiahaircolor]

Also...

Both 1 and 2 have visable inclusions at 40x''s. They are both right in the middle of the diamond. I would suggest, no matter what diamond you go with (1, 2, or 3)...I would call and make sure it is eyeclean!

 

[aljdewey]

I can absolutely appreciate the concept of different strokes for different folks, so I can appreciate that some people have a ''mind clean'' thing in preferring VS stones.

I''d like to balance that by saying that it would be a bit too overcautious and needlessly limiting to suggest dismissing SI1 stones from consideration altogether.

I own two smaller (.30ish) SI1 stones and and five larger SI2 stones (.75 to 1.25), all of which are eyeclean. I''ve previously owned and traded another two SI2 stones, both of which were eyeclean. Beyond that further, I''ve seen several dozen more SI stones, and a great majority of them were also eyeclean.

I also own two smaller (30ish) VS2 stones. To the naked eye, none of them appear ''less included'' than the others.

I sat with nine other Pricescope ladies at lunch last month....some of the toughest ''inspectors'' you''ll ever want to meet!

LOL. None of those gals were able to see the inclusions in my 1.24 center stone without the loupe, and most couldn''t find them with the loupe either. To me, that says a lot.

Seeing clarity really depends on more than just the SI label. Other factors come into play, including but not limited to the size of the stone and the eyesight of the viewer.

One of the great ways to work within a budget is to massage the clarity, and it seems the poster is trying to get the most out of his budget. I''d hate to see him think that SI stones are somehow going to look terrible.....it''s not true.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Alj may fall over and faint when she reads my post, but I'll have to agree! When the budget is limited, I think it makes a lot of sense to look at least at eye clean SI1's. In stones around a half carat, the inclusions are going to be really small and it shouldn't be hard to find eye clean ones. Of those three stones, I favor the middle one that is the .54 H VS2 because it is the largest of the three stones and the highest color. But if we could find a larger H SI1, I'd recommend that!

(I just checked the search and that looks like your best bet. So I'd strongly recommend reserving it if you are ready to buy.)

 

[aljdewey]

Date: 1/31/2008 5:16:37 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006
Alj may fall over and faint when she reads my post, but I''ll have to agree! When the budget is limited, I think it makes a lot of sense to look at least at eye clean SI1''s.

C''mon over to the ''dark side'', DS! We''re friendly over here.....and flush with extra $$ from our SI stones!

LOLOL - You are just TOO cute, DS.

Next time I''m in town, I''m DEFINITELY gonna spring for a slice of lemon pie for you!

 

[Ellen]

Date: 1/31/2008 5:34:05 PM
Author: aljdewey

Date: 1/31/2008 5:16:37 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006
Alj may fall over and faint when she reads my post, but I''ll have to agree! When the budget is limited, I think it makes a lot of sense to look at least at eye clean SI1''s.

C''mon over to the ''dark side'', DS! We''re friendly over here.....and flush with extra $$ from our SI stones!

LOLOL - You are just TOO cute, DS.

Next time I''m in town, I''m DEFINITELY gonna spring for a slice of lemon pie for you!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Lol!!! Thanks Alj! I'd love to get together for some pie!!!

Truthfully, even though we all have different personal preferences as well as budgets, it just makes sense to recommend the best value in cases like this especially. You can definitely get a larger stone that way!!!! (I couldn't find him a better deal in his price range than the WF H VS2, though!)

 

[Italiahaircolor]

Alj...I agree with you, and wouldn''t ever count out an SI unless you could get a stone with better clarity without over spending...and since Vento presented us with the three stones himself, I''m guessing they are all within his budget. So, with that said, shouldn''t he strive to purchase the best diamond he can afford? Not to mention the 2nd stone, while being of higher clarity also is a few points larger and a better color, too.

I too have owned SI stones, and have been perfectly happy with the clarity...but, when purchasing online, I''d always say better safe than sorry.

Just my opinion.

 

[Lynn B]

You regulars know what I'm going to say, don't you?!!!

Of course, I'm totally in sync with Alj (and even DS

!) but if I may humbly suggest... how looooooooooow can he go?!!!

My new upgrade studs are AGS-0 .73 and .74, K/SI1s and I could not be happier! They face up soooooo white and beautiful, and are 100% totally eyeclean. And each stone was just a little more than our poster's budget. And if he could find eyeclean SI2s (which I'd have snapped up in a HEARTBEAT!) he could possibly come in at or under budget, and getting to (or dang clooooose to!) 3/4 carat, and what girl ever minds a little extra SIZE?!!!

Here's a linky to my studs... for comparison sake, there's a photo of one of one of the new studs next to the old ones (.45) and the visible size difference is HUGE!

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/winters-coming-needed-new-ear-warming-studs-1-47-tcw.72105/

SO, my recommendation for him is to at least consider lower color (as low as a killer K) as well as clarity, and definitely consider SI2s. My e-ring (AGS-0 2.36 RB) is a J/SI2 and it, too, is totally eyeclean.

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/finally-gorgeous-new-fishtail-pave-set-from-wf.46129/
(Photos start getting a LOT better at about page 6 or 7 -- I finally got a new camera and learned how to use it!)

SOOOOOO... my humble opinion (as a J and K loving girl) is this: as long as he puts CUT first, he may be AMAZED at how low in color and clarity he can go, ending up with a stunning, DROP-DEAD GORGEOUS, killer e-ring, in a size he never dreamed possible.

 

[enbcfsobe]

I know this pushes the edges of your budget, but a G SI1 ACA could be gorgeous...it is less than $10 over budget with the PS discount (which I believe requires a wire transfer payment).

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-540875.htm

I have a G SI1 and even in a somewhat larger stone you cannot see a thing. I am hard pressed to make out the crystals even at high magnification. I personally don't love the look of #2 above, but maybe its just a bad photo? For a difference of $75 I would go for the slightly larger and slightly better cut with a higher color.

IHC, I understand what you're saying about SI's not always being eye clean, but that is something that he can ask about via email or phone before buying and can inspect himself. That's part of why sellers with good return policies do so well on PS -- the folks here are going to want to scrutinize the heck out of every stone (as well they should!) and will send them back forthwith if they aren't 100% satisfied (also as well they should). I think if bang for your buck is important, it is worthwhile to check out options and see what they're like in person before discounting an opportunity to get the best value.

 

[aljdewey]

Date: 1/31/2008 5:52:01 PM
Author: Italiahaircolor
Alj...I agree with you, and wouldn't ever count out an SI unless you could get a stone with better clarity without over spending...and since Vento presented us with the three stones himself, I'm guessing they are all within his budget. So, with that said, shouldn't he strive to purchase the best diamond he can afford? Not to mention the 2nd stone, while being of higher clarity also is a few points larger and a better color, too.

Regarding the highlighted query above, I'd respectfully reply "who decides what *the best* is?" Best to you might be higher clarity. Best to Lynn B means only two things......well-cut and HUGE.....LOL. Respectfully, everyone's definition of 'best' varies. The stone isn't just about the paper or the individual elements; it's about the total package and the way it looks.

My mom likes mincemeat pie. I'm not a fan. She thinks it's the best. Others would argue that her choice isn't the most popular (indicator of best). They'd argue that it's not a best-seller. They'd argue it's not as visually appealing as other varieties. But to my mom, mincemeat pie is *her* 'best'.

I absolutely respect your opinion, IHC, and please don't misconstrue my comments to be about THESE specific stones. All the stones listed are gorgeous, and there's not a loser in the bunch, so there's no wrong here. It really comes down to individual preferences of the buyer, which are shaped by what s/he values.

My comments in the previous post are general comments that apply to any purchase of any stone, and I worry when I see people making really broad statements like 'stepping outside of VS stones is risky' which new folks might easily interpret as "SI stones are filled with nasty looking inclusions." That's all.

I know, of course, that's not what you said.....but I've seen folks who are new here take an off-hand comment too seriously. It's easier to incite fear in some folks than other, especially on such an emotional purchase.