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how to choose a round diamond around 1,000$

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goodluckfrank

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Jan 15, 2006
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I am searching for a engagement diamond ring and plan to spend 1,000 on the diamond.

Could you give me some suggestion? or where can I get a bargain?

Thanks a million,

Frank
 
I would look at used rings (spend the money on a nice used stone). then go get a fresh setting for it.

for 900 dollars you could get used 0.5-0.75 carat plus $100 bucks for a fresh plain tiffany setting.

from the queen of frugal,
 
Hi Frank! Welcome to Pricescope!

I think your best bet is going to be through the internet. This is where I've constantly found the best deals. PS has so many wonderful, helpful vendors (and members!) that'll help you find exactly what you're looking for. Whiteflash and GoodOldGold are both pretty highly respected vendors to start off with.

So, to start off...how about something like this?

.455 I, VS2 H&A, $898 with PS discount
1.1 on the HCA...and if you inquire about it, ask for a new picture. The quality on this one is less than stellar, which happened with the diamond I bought. They re-photographed it (a bad pic slips through every now and then) and we bought it that day!

Were you looking for something with a certain color or clarity?
 
Hi Frank! For $1000, you could buy this...

http://www.whiteflash.com/round_ideal_cut/Round-Ideal-Cut-cut-diamond-798835.htm#

Half a carat, ideal cut, beautiful idealscope! It''s one of their New Line stones and you''d have a diamond that looked like an 8* for under $1k.
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IS_GIA-13618173.jpg


DI40X_GIA-13618173.jpg
 
Thanks for your replies,

Here''s my specific requirements:
I think cut is the most important factor, so it should be ideal cut.
As for Color, H/I/J seems to look a little yellow, G and above would be better, right?
Clarity, I prefer SI1 and above...
Carat, of couse as large as possible ( at least 0.40 above )

Could you help me find some good ones ?

Thanks a lot,

Frank
 
Frank,

Have you checked out the "J stones in platinum" and the "Let''s post our SI stones here" threads in the SMTR forum? There a LOT of killer J (and even K) stones that, while they may exhibit some lovely "warmth", are not "yellow" at all. And totally eyeclean SI2 stones are out there too, and whatta catch they are. If you expand your parameters a little bit, you may be able to go far *larger* than you ever imagined.
 
I agree in the smaller stones too that lower color grades can be masked by exceptional cut...I have I earrings that are .38c each and I plan to go to J next upgrade for hte earrings, they are blazingly white and look SO much better than my old yellower looking G/H stones because the cut is so much better.

I would do something like a J SI2 .50c for $900 or something and get a basic $200 setting for now. With a vendor that has an upgrade policy you could get a bigger size later etc etc.

For me I am not too into the pawn shops or used/secondhand unless you have alot of time to be looking around and don''t mind taking the time, and if your focus is on a primo cut, I don''t think you''d find TOO many of those floating around already in commerce. Just my thoughts!
 
Yes, G and above woud be better, but you''d be surprised how white a well cut J can look. I don''t think I''ve ever heard someone complain about their H being too yellow. And most Is are pretty white too.

If you stick with an ideal cut, you can be much more lenient with the color and clarity. I would not rule out an SI-2. There are eye-clean ones out there.

By going with a slightly lower color and clarity you can focus more on the size!
 
Another question:

How large do you think is suitable for engagement? I mean the bottom line.... 0.5 Carat or even above ?

Honestly, I don''t make much money
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1,000$ is my buget I plan to spend.

Thanks,

Frank
 
whatever you can comfortably afford is ''suitable''!

i think a .50c is fine for engagement, there are also gals on here who have smaller and larger, there is no right answer.
 
Frank, the right size is the size you can afford. Period. Your gal will appreciate and adore anything you give her, because it will come from the heart and be a token of your love and commitment.
 
Half carat should do great.

When you say H-I-J looks yellowish that is a rather large span - from H to J. Have you seen them set or is this an impression based on indirect sources (grades descriptions or whatever). Non-certified stones may also be misleading as examples... depending on where yo show.

I am asking because ''I'' looks pretty safe for me at half carat and lower. Even loose, not to mention set...


The Si1 versus SI2 point is somewhat debatable - I would not be surprised to see an SI1 looking more included than a stone of comparable size called ''SI2'' on the lab report. It happens.., and this is not rarity either. Allot depends on what the inclusions are and where are they placed inside the stone. I am not saying you should get an SI2 - just one opinion to consider when browsing for stones. Sellers may price these stones according to how ''eye clean'' they are (well, at least seller who keep stones in stock - those on virtual lists... who knows what they look like) - so a ''cheap'' Si1 may be more included than an Si2 stone priced relatively high for the grade. Weird enough... but it happens.
 
Hey Frank, welcome to Pricescope!

You are assuming that you have to have a diamond to get engaged : ) You don''t, you could present her with a $10 Sterling Silver band and she should be just as happy to marry you. The diamond is just cake. If you have $1000 to spend, then I would get her the largest, most stellar cut diamond you can. If getting her a diamond is important to you, then I would go with an internet vendor who has an upgrade policy, then down the road, if you still feel the approx. .50 ct stone is not large enough. You can upgrade it. Again and again, if you want. I think that your girlfriend will be more than thrilled that you put the effort into learning about diamonds and choosing one yourself, rather than the size of the stone. Especially since the sparkle of an ideal cut diamond will blow her away : )

I am including two links, both to pages with diamond engagement rings under 1ct, many of which are just beautiful. THIS is another.

Really you (and your girlfriend) are the only ones who can answer the colour question. I recently got an I colour pendant and compared it to my G coloured stone and I can''t tell the difference. Both are ideal cuts. The G is .30 and the I is .60 so they are not huge stones by any means. Perhaps in a much larger size it would be more visible to me, but there are plenty of ladies here who have J stones in 2ct plus sizes and love them. I think the term "yellow" is misleading. It seems that the ladies with these stones describe them more as "warmth" than "yellow"

Good luck and please post what you do get, there are many, many people who will help you here : )

I wish you well,

Bridget
 
Anyway... how does G-VS2 sound?

Looking over local options and prices, it sounds like the weight 'jump' at half a carat costs allot more than higher grades below that threshold. E.g. between 0.4cts and 0.5cts the price almost doubles for some... even two AGS0 cut! H or I VS2 hardly saves any cash around .4cts relative to G. And there aren't many G-H Si1 just below half a carat on the list.

IMO, you are lucky that those relatively simple 'Tiffany style' (e.g. $120 at the same shop) settings look great with half carat and less. Larger stones get suspended a mile high between those angled prongs ... but the design seem to have been meant for smaller stones and makes elegant rings with them.

Btw. I looked over the 'In House' list above with no specific seller in mind. WF just happened - but they do have quite a bit of good track record here. You may want to look further too.
 
I noticed that for a ideal cut diamond, there''s another two paratmeters, symmetry and polish,
I was wondering if there''s any special requirement for these two factors. ( VG, EX, or ID )

Thanks,

Frank
 
If you're afraid H, I and J colors are going to be too yellow, this might be a good choice:

.46 D, SI1 ($980 with PS discount)
This one is as colorless as it gets, eye-clean (or so it looks), ideally cut, and only .5 carats smaller than the largest offered here (which won't be noticeable). Plus, it scores a 1.2 on the HCA. I think it's a great choice.
 
You didn''t mention your budget for the setting, but I think tension settings with .5 ct. +/- diamonds are very beautiful - perhaps something like this:

http://sunjewelry.com/er3327.html

I don''t know anything about the vendor, but am just offering the link as an idea for you.

Hope this helps!
 
Date: 1/15/2006 7:23:54 PM
Author: goodluckfrank

I noticed that for a ideal cut diamond, there''s another two parameters, symmetry and polish,
I was wondering if there''s any special requirement for these two factors. ( VG, EX, or ID )
Click to expand...

Hm... yeah, well... it is a bit of a story here. John explains it better than I could in a line HERE.

As a quick note: the three terms are not exactly levels on the same scale: GIA and most other labs use ''good'', ''very good'' and ''excellent'' and AGS chose to call their top grade ''ideal'' instead.

IMO, anything ''very good'' and above is more than enough. And brilliance counts tremendously more than the (literally) invisible differences between finish grades.
 
Oops!

Click-on the "engagement rings" link at AntiqueEngagementRings.com and go to pages 4 & 5 ...

On Page 4:

There are 2 similar platinum engagement rings with .40+ and .50 ct. center stones and sapphire side-stones
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, PLUS

The vintage Tiffany ring
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on page 4 AND

On Page 5:
A gorgeous platinum setting with a RB center stone and tapered baguettes side-stones ($975
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) on page 5.

I''m not personally familiar with this vendor, but I remember others who post on this Forum saying nothing but positive things about the quality of their jewelry and the high-level of customer service. This website may offer a neat way to get a BEAUTIFUL and unique engagement ring which represents a great value for your money. Let us know what you think!
 
Oh duh! If you likes antiques, of COURSE a vintage ring would be the perfect solution! She''d get something unique with the ornate appearance only a vintage ring can give.
 
Thanks very much for you guys'' comments!~

I''d love to choose a round diamond and a Platinum Solitaire setting.

Anyway, it''s not that easy to get a good bargain.

I will try....

Frank
 
How much do you want to spend on both the stone and the setting? We've got some great bargain hunters here, and we'd love to help you!

For example:

.40 H, VS2 ($795 with PS discount)

4-prong platinum Tiffany-style setting ($393)
The six-prong is the same price, so if the girdle is indeed thin, you'd probably want the extra protection. You could ask Whiteflash what they'd suggest.

total = $1188.00

"H" color is one of the best deals, IMO. It won't show yellow at that size, especially since it's ideally cut AND it'll be set. I have an "I", and I see no yellow.
 
Here''s another Whiteflash diamond to consider:

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-1955261.htm#

Price listed is BEFORE the PS discount.

Your girl is going to love you (and the ring!) no matter what, but it''s fun trying to help you find a beautiful diamond/setting within your budget.

I just LOVE the 4 prong platinum Tiffany setting that EBree suggested ...

I hope you''re not on ''information overload'' right now ...
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Goodluckfrank---- Many people have given you some excellent suggestons! My 2 cents..... pop the big question to her, in a romantic setting..... Then tell her of your budget. Go shopping together and decide together.-- She can chose and you will be one luckyfrank by far! Ladies love to make choses.. that is why we love " Retail therapy with a budget in mind".
 
I do believe that my girl will love it no matter what I choose, but I am supposed to dig out a better one
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for setting, I love 4-prong platinum Tiffany-style setting, so that''s my best choice so far. ( my girl''s ring size is 4.5, a liitle small)

for diamond, actually " a cut above H&A" is so amazing.... I am still not sure about the carat and color.

What I am sure is "Idle cut", color H above, SI1 above, carat 0.45 above( a little bigger out of my budget
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)......

Anyway... I am trying.....
 
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