MichiganMan
Rough_Rock
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2012
- Messages
- 3
I'm not a long-time reader, but I've done about a month's worth of research on diamonds. I'm also familiar with the terminology and the grading system considering that I've bought diamond earrings, necklaces and bracelets. Now, however, I'm looking to buy an engagement ring so I'd like as much vetting help as possible.
My girlfriend (soon to be fiancee!) wants a round diamond in a solitaire engagement ring. We're looking at rings between 1.25 and 1.5 carats, skewing larger rather than smaller (but no bigger than 1.5, which is where she says she personally feels the size gets too awkward).
My priority, based on all I read, is cut quality, creating brilliance and shine. I want a diamond that is "merely" eye-clean, and color is my last priority considering it will be a round diamond in a white setting. My budget for the diamond alone has a "hard cap" of $8000, but I'd prefer to keep it below $7500.
I've looked at countless diamonds over the last two weeks online, and the current one I'm looking at is this one:
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/J-SI2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1547921.asp
It's "on hold" because I put it there, by the way.
What do you think? The HCA calculator sees very favorable things, and I plan on mounting it in platinum or white gold so I'm not too concerned about the color. The eye-cleanliness is the only thing that I'm going back and forth about. I see a small line occlusion at around 2 o'clock on the diamond's surface (which seems fine), but my big concern is the "discoloration" at around 11 o'clock and 6 o'clock around the surface. I can't tell if the dark facets are some optical thing going on or a problem with the stone.
Any guidance or suggestions would be appreciated. It is well known that this is THE spot for advice, so I'd appreciate whatever you can provide!
Thank you in advance, and I'll be around to help answer any questions you might have for me.
My girlfriend (soon to be fiancee!) wants a round diamond in a solitaire engagement ring. We're looking at rings between 1.25 and 1.5 carats, skewing larger rather than smaller (but no bigger than 1.5, which is where she says she personally feels the size gets too awkward).
My priority, based on all I read, is cut quality, creating brilliance and shine. I want a diamond that is "merely" eye-clean, and color is my last priority considering it will be a round diamond in a white setting. My budget for the diamond alone has a "hard cap" of $8000, but I'd prefer to keep it below $7500.
I've looked at countless diamonds over the last two weeks online, and the current one I'm looking at is this one:
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/J-SI2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1547921.asp
It's "on hold" because I put it there, by the way.
What do you think? The HCA calculator sees very favorable things, and I plan on mounting it in platinum or white gold so I'm not too concerned about the color. The eye-cleanliness is the only thing that I'm going back and forth about. I see a small line occlusion at around 2 o'clock on the diamond's surface (which seems fine), but my big concern is the "discoloration" at around 11 o'clock and 6 o'clock around the surface. I can't tell if the dark facets are some optical thing going on or a problem with the stone.
Any guidance or suggestions would be appreciated. It is well known that this is THE spot for advice, so I'd appreciate whatever you can provide!
Thank you in advance, and I'll be around to help answer any questions you might have for me.