How satisfied are you?

[nala]

with your overall stone? For those of us who had to compromise on size, color, cut, clarity, to what extent are you satisfied. I posted about my level of satisfaction on this thread : [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/a-chance-at-a-redo.204388/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/a-chance-at-a-redo.204388/[/URL] and have continued to live with my stone. I really only feel dissatisfied under certain lighting, but when I go to Wal mart under these lights, I notice that my K goes from dingy and grayish to Wow! And the facets, how I can appreciate the facets under these lights.
A sunny day has the same effect, as do other ideal light settings. I try not to scrutinize my stone under less than ideal light settings. I've learned to do that so that I don't get down on my ring. I'm curious as to how others feel and how you cope with your compromise.
These lights
equal this view:

Would it just be cheaper to install this ceiling and these lights in my house

 

[Cricketcat]

I usually take a quick look at my diamond in the convenience store. I know what you're saying about the lights!

 

[LLJsmom]

I compromised on size. I could have gone up to 3 carats but stuck with an F and a VS1 to deal with OCD-ness. If I could upgrade I may compromise a little on color and clarity for a larger size. I can't imagine dropping more than one for each. But u never know. In actuality, I kinda think my stone is big sometimes so the size thing is just that. There will always be a size thing so whatever.

 

[eirwen]

I compromised on clarity for my asscher against what many would suggest. I went down to SI2 but it was a good SI2 which is "eye clean" till bout 10cm from my eye - I can see a pinpoint of a crystal then but that's cause I knew where to look. I stuck to my budget and knowing how colour sensitive I was, I stuck also to D-F range. And I know I can't compromise on cut Balancing out all the different aspect of the diamond, the compromise ended up with a perfect stone for me given the circumstances .. If budget is no issue, obviously I would've went for a 5ct D IF Royal Asscher

 

[dk168]

I bought the best I could afford back in 2004 as a 40th birthday present to myself with no regrets.

I am in the process of re-setting it, just need to find the re-setting fee which is approximately 100 GBP (Jan 2015 is a lean month), and it should be ready in time for my 50th celebrations in Feb 2015.

DK

 

[elle_chris]

Your ring is really stunning.. just beautiful.

Only thing I slightly regret is color.
I now have a G for my e-ring, but could of got a smaller E for the same price. It wouldn't even have been that much smaller.

I know what you mean about K's though. I have a 1ct pendant that's a K. There are times when I know the color is visible. I also no longer compare it to my G. But since it's a beautiful stone, I try not to dwell on it.

 

[ipodobe]

I compromised on size...well, my husband did! He bought a really high quality .73ct diamond, so I can't complain on cut, color, or clarity. It is a solitaire, and now that I know more, the quality of the setting is pretty poor. Oh well, that can always be changed! The quality however, is superb, and for the age he was when he proposed (22) I think it is pretty darn nice!

 

[baby monster]

I compromised on color and clarity to get a larger stone. No regrets. I'm neither color sensitive nor able to see the inclusions. I would like to upgrade the size at some point in the future but will stay at same Cs for everything else.

 

[Diamondbug]

Oh girl you are opening up a can of worms. Forget the 4 C's, I can't even pick a setting for my ring, there is always something prettier, more interesting and unique in every new photo on PS that I want Sooooo for now I don't have time to think of the stone itself ( I am sure there will be time for that later)...... especially now that I see your gorgeous gorgeous ring....gotta go look up the thread so I can see more photos of it in different angles

 

[EvangelineG]

I voted no regrets above, because I really do love my stone and hope to keep it forever. If there was one thing I could change though, it would be colour. I have an H AVR...pretty sure it would be a "low" H, not a high, and I have discovered I am very colour sensitive. In certain lighting it shows just a hint of warmth in a way I don't absolutely love. I try not to dwell on it, but will be making any future diamond purchases higher on the colour scale, unless I am purposely going low because I want colour. So for me compromises in carat size and clarity are OK, but cut and colour need to be where the budget goes.

 

[HappyNewLife]

I don't have any regrets, but if I had more $, I'd probably have gone a little larger. My diamond is a 1.7 carat RB, G/SI1. But I just couldn't afford anything larger and didn't want to drop in color, as I'm color sensitive.

I know what you mean about lighting. In some lights, my (ideal cut, tho 60/60 stone) diamond goes black. In some lighting, it looks small. But I know it's a good cut (Idealscope/ASET/HCA score), so for the $ savings for a 60/60 stone I was able to go up to 1.7 ct and I just have to deal with the weird things it does in some lighting.

 

[Sundial]

I recently upgraded and I am quite satisfied with my new 2.5 carat I VS1 Brian Gavin Signature diamond. I refused to compromise on cut (super ideal) since my previous stone was a Hearts on Fire, on clarity (VS1/VS2) as I was very concerned about visible inclusions in a stone this size, and on carat weight (no less than 2.5 carats) as this was the size I thought looked best on my hand after trying on rings at Tiffany's. Even though I had a pretty flexible budget I didn't want to spend a fortune on this upgrade so I did decide to compromise on color after seeing some J colored Hearts on Fire diamonds in person. I ended up going with an I and honestly i cannot see any difference between it and the F colored stone in my old ring. Dropping down in color made sense for me since I am not color sensitive at all and in this size diamond it was a significant savings. I think everyone has to figure out their own trade-offs.

 

[tyty333]

f) I wish I had chosen a different cut.

Dont get me wrong, I have loved my pear over the years but I wonder if I had seen an OEC or Tranny at the time if I might have gone with
one of those options.

 

[LoubieLove]

I sacrificed on color and got an "I." I do love my stone and it always looks white face up. Every so often, in certain lighting situations, I see a slight bit of warmth from the side. I try not to let it bother me too much. I originally ordered a VS2 clarity stone but as it turns out, I am really clarity sensitive. My fiancé didn't want to deal with my OCD so he sent it back and got me a VVS1.

 

[Sundial]

Nala I forgot to add how beautiful I think your ring is - simply stunning!

 

[elle_chris]

f) I wish I had chosen a different cut.

Dont get me wrong, I have loved my pear over the years but I wonder if I had seen an OEC or Tranny at the time if I might have gone with
one of those options.

I've always loved your set, tyty. It's very elegant.

 

[danielxlin]

What I regret: not investing $25 in an ultrasonic cleaner. I didn't notice my wife's Diamonds by Lauren ring had gotten dusty and dingy in the underside gallery. The F color diamond was looking like an ugly K. Can't believe I let her walk around like that with a subpar looking ring.

It's been rectified. Now the ring gets a quick 2 minute cleaning every day just like teeth.

 

[elle_chris]

What I regret: not investing $25 in an ultrasonic cleaner. I didn't notice my wife's Diamonds by Lauren ring had gotten dusty and dingy in the underside gallery. The F color diamond was looking like an ugly K. Can't believe I let her walk around like that with a subpar looking ring.

It's been rectified. Now the ring gets a quick 2 minute cleaning every day just like teeth.

weird.. usually dirty diamonds just lose their shine. If it started looking like a K, it's probably not an F..

 

[PintoBean]

That's cute! Clean my K to an F too!

I think I would opt for one color and one clarity step up and 0.25 carat up in size lo lol.

 

[Texas Leaguer]

What I regret: not investing $25 in an ultrasonic cleaner. I didn't notice my wife's Diamonds by Lauren ring had gotten dusty and dingy in the underside gallery. The F color diamond was looking like an ugly K. Can't believe I let her walk around like that with a subpar looking ring.

It's been rectified. Now the ring gets a quick 2 minute cleaning every day just like teeth.

Good for you! It's absolutely remarkable what regular cleaning does to diamond beauty and your daily enjoyment. For some reason we tend to have a 'set it and forget it' mindset when it comes to our jewelry. Because the drop-off in performance is gradual we tend not to notice the change.

In my career I have seen countless jewelry pieces that have been worn for years and never cleaned. The strange thing is that we would never buy clothing and not think to wash or iron it. Even our cars get washed once in a while!

Actually, a car is a good example. Think of that new shiny car and how dingy it looks after an extended rainy period. And then think of how it looks after cleaning. It's like, "oh, there you are again!"

 

[nala]

First, I want to say that I'm really enjoying this thread. The poll, especially, makes me feel that I'm in good company in regard to my feelings about my diamond. Also, thanks to those of you who said lovely compliments about my ring, though I wish it would behave like it does on the picture the majority of the time. I have to keep reminding myself that unless I AM WILLING to fork out a lot MORE cash for an upgrade, I won't be 100% happy 100% of the time. I realize that I could always downsize and upgrade in quality, but I am not 100% sure that I will be happy with a smaller size. When I wore my better quality but smaller diamond, it never seemed to be enough and I kept dreaming about upgrading in size. I guess that in retrospect, I realize that I was probably only 70% happy at the time too, if I all I kept thinking about was upgrading. I wish that those of you who wish you had gone bigger would share your feelings or experience. As to the 53% who have no regrets, it would be fun to read about your experience too!

 

[danielxlin]

What I regret: not investing $25 in an ultrasonic cleaner. I didn't notice my wife's Diamonds by Lauren ring had gotten dusty and dingy in the underside gallery. The F color diamond was looking like an ugly K. Can't believe I let her walk around like that with a subpar looking ring.

It's been rectified. Now the ring gets a quick 2 minute cleaning every day just like teeth.

weird.. usually dirty diamonds just lose their shine. If it started looking like a K, it's probably not an F..

When purchased it was rated by GIA as F color. The color it turned after the dinge settled on its underside wasn't officially rated by anyone, but it wasn't very nice. No disrespect to those who own warmer colored diamonds (our family included).

 

[AnneinGA]

Hey Daniel,
Given that the OP ring is a K, I might rethink the "ugly K" comment. Her ring is beautiful and so is the stone.

 

[danielxlin]

There are pretty Ks and ugly Ks. I like and own warmer colored diamonds. Diamonds when they are dingy don't perform the way they are rated by GIA. I've already said I meant no disrespect to anybody.

But you can continue your silly campaign for internet respect if you like. I ultrasonic wash myself of this conversation.

 

[Mayk]

I voted I'm happy... I love my BGB I VS1 e-ring. I get tons of compliments, which are in part due to the VC setting which sparkles like crazy. I also have a " K" IF Emerald cut and I love it. Most would not pick it but it's lovely and because its a K (not an ugly K) I was able to get 2.0 ct. I love your ring and the vintage band. Super fabulous!

 

[Zizzy]

No regrets! However being a greedy cow, I do sometimes wonder what the Whiteflash 2.816 carat J SI1 A Cut Above H&A I was on the brink of buying would have looked like! Funnily enough, although I was dead set on a pave band, I'm really happy that my now fiance surprised me with a plain solitaire. Having seen it and lived with it, I would choose it for myself and not just out of sentimentality.

 

[DJHoliday]

I tried to go less clarity and color on my ring, but DH wouldn't let me. He had some weird ideas of what it should be and stuck to his guns...

 

[julesxxxooo]

It's hard not to be restricted by a budget. I would love to have gotten a bigger diamond but I got a beautiful 1.01 True Hearts F, SI2 with an additional .60ctw side stone setting. So much bling! It's stunning! clarity was high on my criteria but I lucked out with my stone. I studied it for days with a 10x loupe after receiving it and finally found the feather that gave it the clarity rating from GIA. Even with a plot, I couldn't see it. It's totally dependent on how the light hits it if I'm holding it in the correct position. The price was amazing so I am very happy with the purchase but if I could blow more money without feeling frivolous, I'd get a 2 ct center stone.

 

[kmarla]

I'm totally satisfied with my upgrade engagement ring 2.03k GIA H VS2 Princess, and get compliments all the time about it. If you had a category for settings though I think I would have to tick never completely satisfied. I've changed it twice in 18 months, going from halo to solitaire, but still keep looking at different settings! I'm so tempted by all the different choices out there!

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

Given my budget I am perfectly satisfied with my ER, no plans to upgrade or change anything. That doesn't mean I won't get additional rings though