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I have a budget now what?

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khal80

Rough_Rock
Joined
Dec 3, 2012
Messages
52
I am planning on asking my gf to marry me in the next couple of weeks.....that being said, I need a ring.

We have gone ring shopping a couple of times, and it seems she likes a Tiffany knife edge style ring with a round solitaire

She likes bigger carat diamonds...minimum 2

I am fortunate to have a pretty high budget but would like to get the most for my money. My budget is about 25K

From the forums, it seems as if a 2 carat VS2, g/h color excellent cut, symmetry, and polish no fluorescent is the way to go

would yall agree?

She likes big and sparkly

any help on where to go, i found this site and have been reading, now just trying to figure out whats next

Thanks for any and all help
 
Thanks for the help....

quick q, what makes you recommend this diamond?
 
Many things.

1. Best cut available. BGD signature stones are cut to the highest quality standards for light return (that's why they have the covetted AGS 0 lab report light grade). Light return is what makes the diamond sparkle and shine. Also the signature line has perfect hearts and arrows patterning which many people feel is the height of cutting precision.

2. Do a search on BGD on here. You will see MANY MANY happy customers. They have excellent customer service and are one of the top vendors recommended on here and one of the vendors most trusted by members of this site. And members of this site are as a group: anal, persnickety, difficult to please aficionados who know more about diamonds than 90% of the sales people staffing brick and mortar jewelers around the country.

3. You wanted a specific setting. They make one of the nicest Tiffany style settings anywhere. And their manufacturing and their finish on their pieces is fabulous. I have had independent appraisers comment on how incredibly high quality my own personal pieces made by them are, so I know from personal experience and can attest to that quality.

4. You said your budget is around 25k. And your lady likes size. If in the future you or your lady want to upgrade your diamond to a larger sized stone for an anniversary or other occasion these stones have lifetime trade in policies, and you only have to spend more or equal, not double like some vendors. And if your ladies tastes ever change and she wants a different shaped stone she can trade in for that as well. And if anything, god forbid, should happen and you should need to sell the diamond the policy includes a buy back, and you would also find it very easy to find a place to consign it since the quality is so high.

5. SI1 clarity. As long as the stone is eyeclean, you can't see it, so why spend money on it. The inclusions on the diamond are safe and it will to the naked eye look indistinguishable from a VVS stone. Plus, having a 'birthmark' makes it easy to indentify your stone if there is ever a need to take your ring in for sizing or anything.

6. H color. You said G or H. This is the one that fit your budget and other characteristics, so I selected this one.

Hope this helps!
 
this site and you are awesome.

I will def do research on BGD and how the "birthmark" effects the look of this stone

I know i listed out settings I wanted, but is that the best bang for my buck? or should my search criteria be different?


Just realized Brian Gavin is located in my home city,,,,will be giving them a visit very soon.
 
You are more than welcome for any assistance we can provide, it's our pleasure.

Best bang for buck is DEFINITELY where you are at in terms of color and clarity.
In terms of carat size... not so much. The 'deals' are to be found at 1.8 carats. BUT if you have the budget for the full 2 carats and it will make your lady smile, you would have to decide if saving 3k or so would be worth stepping down in carat weight. I suspect it won't be, and that's a perfectly fine choice, there is a reason there is a price jump at 2 carats, because it's sought after and your lady is seeking it.

I would suggest calling BGD, asking for Denise or Lesley to help you. Brian is away in Antwerp right now, I believe (he just posted about how cold it is there on the BGD Facebook page), so you won't be able to speak to him but Lesley or Denise should be able to help you with regard to the clarity on the diamond and any 'birthmark' effects.

To clarify, the birthmark would ONLY be visible under a loupes magnification if the stone is eyeclean. But it would be visible with just a quick peek through the loupe, and that provides peace of mind for some people (along with the laser inscription on the girdle of the stone).

I think your search criteria and your posts shows a smart buyer who did the research he needed to and came to the right conclusions.
 
Just wanted to echo how awesome BGD is...you will be in good hands! I am curious to see if you able to visit in person. Let us know how it goes and good luck!
 
Ill keep everyone posted on the BGD visit/experience.....

Can i trust them with a budget and that theyll give me the best i can get (or pretty close too)? I know homework is always necessary but i would love for this process to be easier,,,,,I mean, if i can get the sparkle and carat size alot cheaper, that would be nice...ha
 
You can trust them. Also, I would suggest looking at the Blue Line. Florescence isn't bad. It can be a pleasing effect and desirable (and it discounts stones too). All Blue Line Stones have been screened and have no negative Florescence effects.
 
I would advice to keep your options open.

There are lot of online vendors in the US market...you can start your search on these sites too

1)James Allen
2)B2C Jewels.com
3)Blue Nile
4)GOG

And there are some more...try to get as much information as possible, compare their policies, pricing, and service before you make a choice.

Goodluck :loopy:
 
vishke8|1354598956|3322008 said:
I would advice to keep your options open.

There are lot of online vendors in the US market...you can start your search on these sites too

1)James Allen -- nice stones, but doesn't have as nice a Tiffany Setting at all as BGD. Have to spend 2x for an upgrade.
2)B2C Jewels.com -- same issue. I don't think they have an upgrade policy.
3)Blue Nile -- doesn't provide the level of information on their stones as other pricescope vendors at all. No idealscope images, and they are a drop shipper. No upgrade or buy back Also no hearts images or arrows images for their 'hearts and arrows stones'.
4)GOG-- Nothing with those specs in their inventory. And the OP wants to propose soon.

And there are some more...try to get as much information as possible, compare their policies, pricing, and service before you make a choice.

Goodluck :loopy:
Click to expand...

Infinity Diamonds doesn't have anything that fits those specs. I checked.
Whiteflash has one diamond that fits. http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2696797.htm Same size, same specs, same price (OP, you can ask BGD to price match this stone-- it's a savings of 200 bucks). I don't like their in house Tiffany settings as much, except for the Vatche which costs 500 more than the BGD settings. Similar polices to BGD. Brian of BGD helped start WF, and now has his own company, BGD. I prefer BGD's customer service to WF, so that was my recommendation.
 
khal80|1354597498|3321994 said:
Ill keep everyone posted on the BGD visit/experience.....

Can i trust them with a budget and that theyll give me the best i can get (or pretty close too)? I know homework is always necessary but i would love for this process to be easier,,,,,I mean, if i can get the sparkle and carat size alot cheaper, that would be nice...ha
Click to expand...

"alot cheaper" won't happen, because diamond cutters and diamond vendors know exactly what they have, and where to price it relative to the market. You can't really expect the best-cut diamonds to be sold at steep discounts. That's just not possible. The online vendors don't have 100% markups. It's more like 15% - 20% at most. And if they are educating you and taking time to give you personal attention to help you make your decision, you can't expect them to do that at a financial loss. People say that Good Old Gold's diamonds are priced higher, but when GOG lists a diamond, look at all the pictures and extra data they are providing in that listing.

I'm not picking on you. But there have been many buyers coming on here lately who have the notion that there is a 200% markup or something, and it just isn't so.

Beware of "virtual stones" vs. in-house. The virtual stones are not actually in stock. They may or may not match the performance of the in-house diamonds that the PS sellers have evaluated and listed.

Brian Gavin is a reputable seller.
 
thanks for the link....i found myself asking that same question

I will have to sit down and do a cost/eye test analysis to see if there is a price difference in a gia xxx and a bgd ha diamond, if so, how much and is it worth it
 
khal80|1354674015|3322779 said:
thanks for the link....i found myself asking that same question

I will have to sit down and do a cost/eye test analysis to see if there is a price difference in a gia xxx and a bgd ha diamond, if so, how much and is it worth it
Click to expand...


Best way to do that is to go to a Hearts on Fire dealer. BGD's quality is on par with Hearts on Fire, (at much less price) and most Hearts on Fire dealers will have GIA stones (you will want to specify a GIA Ex/Ex to compare with it). Not all GIA Ex/Ex's are equal.

Another way to do it is to go to a PS dealer if there is one near you (some have stores). Where are you located?

Also Brian Gavin can, and does, get in GIA ex/ex stones for people looking for them. They do not have the same upgrade and buyback policies, but if that is an option you want to explore I wanted to throw it out there.

In addition. Not all GIA Ex/Ex stones are equal. You want one that scores under 2 or, at most up to 3, using this rough tool (it's not a perfect tool, but it is a short cut): https://www.pricescope.com/tools/hca and then you would want to confirm the performance with an idealscope image of the stone (if you look at the BGD stones you will see that the Idealscope images are posted).
 
This is a nice GIA stone. http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-SI1-Excellent-Cut-Round-Diamond-1528898.asp you would have to put it on hold. Ask if it is eyeclean from the gemologist and get an idealscope image. It saves you 5k though, and that's nothing to sneeze at. I doubt you have anything to worry about with the faint florescence (it's probably just discounting the stone price for you, which is always lovely) but you can and should have the gemologist confirm with a visual exam of the stone just to be safe.

As I said, James Allen doesn't have the nicest Tiffany Replica settings but this one might be acceptable to you. It's not my favorite but this isn't going to be my ring. http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/solitaire/18k-white-gold-six-prong-knife-edged-solitaire-engagement-ring-handmade-17192w.html If it is not, you can see about having it set into another vendor's settings (like BGD), but that would mean that you need to arrange for insurance on the stone prior to setting privately, as a vendor will not insure a stone during setting that was not purchased from them (doesn't make sense for them to, it's a 20k diamond on a 1.5k setting, so you have to arrange your own insurance). It's a bit of a hassle, and also can be time consuming, which is why I didn't suggest that route earlier. But as it will save you money, it may be worth it to you.

Another option to see what BGD can find you to match that JA stone, and then they would insure it while setting for you.
 
JUst to give an update, I called and scheduled an appointment at BGD. Basically I need to pick some diamonds out so they can have them ready for viewing.

Ill keep updating...

Thanks for the info....ive never seen a hof or h&A diamond so to see that and compare them to a gia ex ex under 2 should be educational
 
If you live outside of TX, you will definitely want to have whatever you buy shipped to you out of state. If you live in TX, I would choose a different vendor such as Good Old Gold or ID Jewelry who can also get the Vatche tiffany repro setting.

I would also make an appointment with WhiteFlash if you are visiting Houston. I think they have a retail location and I think the Vatche U-113 Tiffany repro is the best.

If you think you could go to I color, you could see a significant size increase:

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/10108/
 
Go with BGD signature stone. They are exquisite. Ask for Lesley. Lesley will help you through it all.
 
Another fan of BGD, they have beautiful stones and their customer service is fantastic. I have worked with Denise for 4 transactions and have no complaints. I also think their Tiffany setting is better than most of the other vendors (the Vatche U-113 is nice too - if you go with Whiteflash, I would pay the extra cost for that one).
 
@ Diamondseeker 2006, I'm confused, why would you recommend he buy from a vendor outside of Tx if he lives in Texas. Was that a typo?
 
chicam|1354731559|3323266 said:
@ Diamondseeker 2006, I'm confused, why would you recommend he buy from a vendor outside of Tx if he lives in Texas. Was that a typo?
Click to expand...

Nope, no typo. You can't think of any advantages to buying an expensive item out of state?
 
chicam|1354731559|3323266 said:
@ Diamondseeker 2006, I'm confused, why would you recommend he buy from a vendor outside of Tx if he lives in Texas. Was that a typo?
Click to expand...

Could be wrong, but I'm guessing Diamondseeker said that because if he lives in Texas and purchases from a vendor there, he will pay sales tax on the item. If you purchase items from other states and have them shipped to you, you won't pay tax, though you should be paying it on your annual tax return.
 
Oh ok got it.
 
Just to update...

Went to BGD today. Made an appointment to see a specific diamond selected for me.

I was greeted and talked to by BG himself. This wasnt a 5 min meet and greet, I was there for a good 1.5 hours being educated and talked to about their diamonds, ie, hearts and arrows.

Nothing but positive thoughts

Now I just need to make up my mind when it comes to color.

To me, eye clean is eye clean. It was very hard to tell the difference between the si1 and vs2 diamonds. Easy with the lens...but bare eyes, extremely difficult. They all reflect so much light, its hard to see the surface

Thank for all the help so far
 
khal80|1355201228|3328261 said:
Just to update...

Went to BGD today. Made an appointment to see a specific diamond selected for me.

I was greeted and talked to by BG himself. This wasnt a 5 min meet and greet, I was there for a good 1.5 hours being educated and talked to about their diamonds, ie, hearts and arrows.

Nothing but positive thoughts

Now I just need to make up my mind when it comes to color.

To me, eye clean is eye clean. It was very hard to tell the difference between the si1 and vs2 diamonds. Easy with the lens...but bare eyes, extremely difficult. They all reflect so much light, its hard to see the surface

Thank for all the help so far
Click to expand...


I'm glad you had such a great experience. Please post when you chose and then the ring pictures. Can't wait!!
 
cant wait either.

I learned that I can totally be ok with eye clean si's

I got to see three diamonds- one 5k more and one 30k more and there wasnt much diff

The J color is def warmer. Cant really tell till you angle it and start to see some yellowish hues.....will i be ok is the question

i like the price point....but is it worth it to spend more?
 
Tell me about your lady and her jewelry. Does she know a lot about diamonds? Does she have a lot of diamond jewelry?
 
She likes jewelry, but costume. Big bold earrings, big flashy rings, and not a necklace person.

She does not have any diamonds or stones, this will be her first. She would be fine with the stone, unless she did research or her close friend who may know a thing or two puts in her head its not colorless.

well thats my thought
 
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