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I am new here and have lots of questions

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notdocyet

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jun 3, 2003
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HI everyone,
This is an amazing website. I am not too computer saavy but this site has helped so much. So my boyfriend ,of five years, and I are looking at engagement rings. Actually it seems like I am doing most of the looking but I am not sure what he is up to. From my reading here I think that the cut is one of the most important aspects to consider. I would like a round brillant and hearts and arrows would be great. The problem that we are having is that for some stupid reason I really want a nice sized diamond. I joke one big diamond, no side stones ect. I am willing to compromise on my dress flowers ect for my ring. I was hoping for 1.3 carats. I have no idea if it is possible to find a nice stone in that carat weight for 4,500. We have discussed a budget of around 5,000 and I really am intrested in the Stuller Solstice setting. I would prefer platnium but I don''t think that would meet the budget. I guess my questions are: Is it possible to find a HA round 1.25-1.3 carat ring? If so would anyone be intrested in helping me. I have checked GOG and WF. I found some on ebay that seems a little scary. Thank you so much. Leslie
 
Welcome to PS! You have come to a great place to get help with diamonds and other things, too!

I understand your wish for a larger diamond, but realistically, you''re probably not going to get a hearts and arrows ideal cut 1.3 for $4500. If you go to J color and SI1, you might be able to find a 1 ct. My suggestion would be to get what you can afford now, and if you do buy from someone like Good Old Gold or WhiteFlash, later on you can upgrade your stone to a 1.3 or 1.5 or so. This will be very workable if you just get an inexpensive setting now and wait and get the platinum version when you do the upgrade. I''m sure you can get the solstice in wg and also in platinum. The only issue would be what to do about the wedding band metal.
 
I found this one...

WF 1.18 J SI2

Realistically, the budget coupled with what you want may be difficult in an ideal cut. As you can see...it is possible, but there will be sacrifices to be made. You''ll have to prioritize the 4C''s to determine what is most important in the end game.

Good luck!
 
Gosh, I1 does not fall in the category of "nice diamond" for me. Not for an e-ring.
 
Date: 8/15/2006 11:23:58 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006
Gosh, I1 does not fall in the category of ''nice diamond'' for me. Not for an e-ring.
that''s why you have your vs stone ds!
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obviously some sacrifices are going to have to be made here and i think keeping an open mind about inclusions will help the op get the size she wants while also getting a top cut. remember, these aren''t ebay or maul store i1''s! there is a *huge* difference.
unfortunately the elmry services site is being testy again and i can''t see anything about this stone.
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hopefully the op can find something that works for her.
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Have you been to stores to try on rings?
If so - make sure you look at diameter... Remember, that''s what makes the size!
My .818 is similar in size to some of the "almost" a carat stones at the mall.
So - you may find that the 1 carat stones that are being shown to you here are very similar in size to some 1.2''s.

I found it helpful to give myself a "size range" before I started looking online. I knew that I definately didn''t want anything smaller than 6mm. That was my cutoff for where it started looking really small to me. I wish we could have afforded bigger, but oh well!

Just for reference, with a $4100 budget, I wound up with an ideal cut (ACA) .818, G, VS2 stone... I got a solitaire with a 6 prong platinum head. Oh - I think the 6 prongs makes it look bigger, too.
 
Date: 8/15/2006 10:36:47 PM
Author: wonka27
I found this one...

WF 1.18 J SI2

Realistically, the budget coupled with what you want may be difficult in an ideal cut. As you can see...it is possible, but there will be sacrifices to be made. You'll have to prioritize the 4C's to determine what is most important in the end game.

Good luck!
I really like this one that Wonka found.....if it's eyeclean, this is SO close to the size you want!

And I wouldn't rule out I1 stones if that's the way to get you to what you want. Some people have "mind-clean issues", and that's totally fine, but others are quite happy getting a relatively clean I1 if they are able to cover the grade making inclusion with a prong.

Patty has a LOVELY I1 stone....around 1.35 if I recall correctly....and it's STUNNING. The inclusion is covered by a prong.

As far as I'm concerned, the simple label of I1 doesn't mean a stone may not be "nice".
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It may require a bit more investigating on your part to find the right one, but if it helps you meet your budget and looks nice, it's a smart choice.
 
I have to ditto regarding I1 diamonds, I have two and they are incredibly clean and a good way for me to maximise size for the buck
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I would buy them both again in a heartbeat if I had to do it again. Also Virginia too has a fab clean 1.7 so they are out there, just might take some searching for.
 
Okay, I admit that I am clarity sensitive (and cut, color, and size) as Belle has reminded me! I can handle SI2 so much better than I1! However, that one Wonka posted has a very thin girdle which might be susceptible to chipping, so I don''t see how we can recommend that??? Shopping online is easier when you are dealing with a clarity level that is likely eye clean. So you may end up having to order and return some stones if you''re shopping for an I1, which maybe you don''t mind.
 
Wow,
You guys are so nice. I would have never guessed how wonderful and helpful everyone is being. My mom suggested to me the idea of upgrading too. I would be willing to do that. I have read the comments regarding the I1 stones and I will have to do tons more research. I feel very uneducated. Maybe a one carat would be more realistic. I am not sure how this plays into things but I have small hands and a size 4 finger so maybe a carat would look right. I just would like a tad bigger. I could compromise for the white gold too. I don''t know how much that saves. Thanks again. Leslie
PS I have seen Ame''s ring and I love it.
 
Hi, Leslie, as you can see there is a lot to be learned about diamonds! I really like the 4 C''s section of the Good Old Gold site, because it gives great pictures for color and clarity. You can see better there what all these letters and numbers mean!

http://www.goodoldgold.com/4Cs/

A one carat stone would be lovely on a size 4 finger! If it were me, I think I''d go with a nicer quality 1 ct. to start and then upgrade later. But be sure to buy from a vendor who allows full value for trading up. It might make sense to start out with a white gold setting if you thought you might upgrade later. Then you could get your dream setting when you upgraded the stone.
 
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