If you gals and guys aren't too busy... can you help?

[Mr_Sparklez]

Hey all,

I've been lurking around for a while and I've learned more than I ever though I would about the diamond trade. My long term g/f and I have decided to tie the knot and well, now I need to "officially" pop the question. I've set aside what I think is a sensible budget for a depreciating asset that is supposed to "symbolize" my love for her, although I don't believe it for a second.

I am looking to spend around $15,000 for the rock. I already have a Tacori setting that I picked out a while ago, which cost me about $4.5k. Probably not the best way to spend money, but what can I say, love is impractical... right?

Where I need help is deciding the route I want to take in terms of the stone; I'm looking for something with Excellent cut, symmetry and polish. The color is not such a big deal as long as it's I or better and the clarity is Sl1 or greater, what's out there and can anyone help me find it?

Thank you guys, this community is truly an asset and I'm very lucky to have found it.

 

[Laila619]

Hi,

This one looks absolutely lovely to me, the numbers really don't get much better than this! http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1491857.asp

 

[Mr_Sparklez]

Hi,

This one looks absolutely lovely to me, the numbers really don't get much better than this! http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-VS2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1491857.asp

Wow, great find! This stones looks beautiful, and it's under budget! Thank you for this!

My future wife has an athletic build (former track star), and thusly so larger than average hands (finger size: 8!). Do you think this size stone is apt for her finger size?

Can anyone offer some insight into this?

Thank you again for your help Ms. Laila!

 

[Mr_Sparklez]

Anyone have an opinion on this:

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-SI1-Excellent-Cut-Round-Diamond-1495584.asp

 

[Laila619]

Anyone have an opinion on this:

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-SI1-Excellent-Cut-Round-Diamond-1495584.asp

With this one above, it has a crown angle of 36 and pavilion angle of 41, so unfortunately it's a "steep deep" diamond. Do you see the gray/dark circle in the middle of the stone? That's leakage. You'll get good at spotting it just from pictures once you've looked at a lot of stones!

Here's a nice one, well under budget:

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-SI1-Excellent-Cut-Round-Diamond-1457909.asp 1.6 carat

 

[Laila619]

Here's a 1.67 carat with nice numbers and pic:

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-SI1-Excellent-Cut-Round-Diamond-1495304.asp

I think a 1.5 + carat will look great on a size 8!! I'm a size 6.5 with very long fingers, and I 'only' have a one carat but it still looks pretty big on me.

 

[Laila619]

I looked on WF's site, and they have a 1.80 carat J SI1. Not sure if you'd go with a J or not, but it's only 13k. James Allen seems to have the most selection though.

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2805411.htm

 

[bagelboy]

Welcome to Pricescope,
In addition you can always run the numbers through the HCA calculator under TOOLS tab. With the table of 57, depth of 62.2 and crown angle of 36, pavillion angle of 41 the HCA gives it 5.5 score. Diamonds with a score between 0-2 merit a further investigation, over 2 and you should pass. A score of 5.5 is pass for sure. Please check out the upgrade policies of various vendors. You could always start wuth a smaller well cut diamond and then upgrade to a larger diamond every few years until your lady is happy with her ring. It is a better path than buying a large rock that just doesn't sparkle that much and harder to resell. Happy Hunting!!!

 

[Mr_Sparklez]

Anyone have an opinion on this:

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-SI1-Excellent-Cut-Round-Diamond-1495584.asp

With this one above, it has a crown angle of 36 and pavilion angle of 41, so unfortunately it's a "steep deep" diamond. Do you see the gray/dark circle in the middle of the stone? That's leakage. You'll get good at spotting it just from pictures once you've looked at a lot of stones!

Here's a nice one, well under budget:

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-SI1-Excellent-Cut-Round-Diamond-1457909.asp 1.6 carat

I've so much more to learn -

Thank you for the feedback and all the suggestions, if you come across anything else please let me know, the ones you've suggested are all great!

I can't wait to see the finished product.

 

[Mr_Sparklez]

Welcome to Pricescope,
In addition you can always run the numbers through the HCA calculator under TOOLS tab. With the table of 57, depth of 62.2 and crown angle of 36, pavillion angle of 41 the HCA gives it 5.5 score. Diamonds with a score between 0-2 merit a further investigation, over 2 and you should pass. A score of 5.5 is pass for sure. Please check out the upgrade policies of various vendors. You could always start wuth a smaller well cut diamond and then upgrade to a larger diamond every few years until your lady is happy with her ring. It is a better path than buying a large rock that just doesn't sparkle that much and harder to resell. Happy Hunting!!!

Of course, thank you for reminding me of the tool!

And thank you for the welcome!

 

[Gypsy]

What size center (not carat weight but dimensions in mm) does the ring take? You are limited by the setting you already have.

 

[sonnyjane]

What size center (not carat weight but dimensions in mm) does the ring take? You are limited by the setting you already have.

Thanks I was going to point this out as well!

 

[Mr_Sparklez]

The sales person suggested I stay under 8.5 mm so 2+ carats. With my budget I don't think I'll be bumping up against this at all.

Which is around point, is my budget too low? I can afford to spend a little more, but do you think it's worth it?

 

[yssie]

What size center (not carat weight but dimensions in mm) does the ring take? You are limited by the setting you already have.

This is really important. Tacori settings usually have quite a bit going on which further restricts flexibility... what is the lower limit as well, in mm? You are looking for a round, right?

 

[Mr_Sparklez]

What size center (not carat weight but dimensions in mm) does the ring take? You are limited by the setting you already have.

This is really important. Tacori settings usually have quite a bit going on which further restricts flexibility... what is the lower limit as well, in mm? You are looking for a round, right?

I spoke to the Tacori rep today and he suggested that to play it safe he'd stay between 7.4 mm and 8mm.
the ring came with a CZ that currently measures 7.63mm.

I'm still looking for the perfect stone. Thus far the ones suggested by Laila have been some of the best. Does anyone have any tips on other stones?

Is there a sweet spot in terms of budget? In other words is there a price-point at which quality stones tend to be more prevalent?

Thank you all so much for all the feedback.

 

[Gypsy]

So I would stick to 7.4-7.8 mm.

I like this one: http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/1.518-i-vs1-round-diamond-ags-bl-104059065022

And I hope you are the one who has this diamond on hold, because it's a great suggestion by Laila: http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/H-SI1-Excellent-Cut-Round-Diamond-1495304.asp